Little Brother 3
by Nyx6
Summary: Now he has been officially adopted by the Reigns family and moved past the drama with his birth parents for good, Dean is looking forward to a bright new future and a real life boys' trip with Roman and their Pop. But when things sound too good to be true they usually are, as the flu and a disgruntled former employee then prove right. Drama. Comfort. Roman is the best brother.
1. One

**Okay, so I've been meaning to post this story for a little while, but with the whole Roman bombshell I wasn't sure whether to sit on it or not. But nope, if anything I feel we need more Roman right now and especially stories where he is the big loveable lug we all know. Nowhere is he that more than in my little brother series, so here we go again folks.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **One**

Back when Papa Reigns had been a boy in Samoa, his father had taken him off fishing once a year, when the summer was at its peak and the conditions had been perfect and was a tradition that the patriarch had continued from there on.

Every midsummer when he could untangle himself from business long enough to justify taking the long weekend off, he and Roman would put the cases in the pickup and then head to the family beach house up on the cape, where they would kick back and spend long hours usually only hooking water, but having a good time anyway being father and son.

Dean knows all this.

He knows because he's heard it when it is mentioned in family conversation from time to time and because he has come across the pictures in family photo albums and been talked through them by Roman who grins the whole time.

Dean grins too.

"Is pop wet in this one?"

"He fell over the side trying to reel in a marlin, which by the way, turned out to be a boot."

Papa Reigns lets out a harrumph from behind them and then flaps the crumpled pages of his newspaper from the comfort of his favored and well-loved chair, in a way that implies he is less than happy with the narrative but which also completely fails to hide the smile in his tones,

"For your information boy it _was_ a marlin but then that damn boot got itself tangled up in it and I fell in _trying_ to bring the thing up to show you because the deck was slippery."

"You keep telling yourself that pop."

"Mind your tongue boy."

But Dean loves hearing the stories regardless because they are a part of the family he has newly become and so therefore the stories are a part of _his_ history now. Or at least he hopes they _will_ be for a long time to come.

He even gets excited as they come to the summer months because there's part of him that hopes they'll invite him along. Except that then that kind of gets lost in the shuffle of his being kidnapped when his long lost mother and her man show up and throw his neat little world into chaos. Fishing trips seem a lot less important beyond that, not to mention the process of being fully legally _adopted_ which happens only a matter of weeks after that.

Dean is happy though.

Delirious even.

Which is therefore the reason he is bewildered by the question when he heads back into the lounge one night, having helped Mama Reigns to wash up the dinner plates and where he finds his father and brother both pouring over schedules and circling random dates.

"Does September work for you son?"

"Huh?"

Dean is perhaps a little less than eloquent as the family patriarch looks casually his way, because he honestly has no idea what the older man is talking about. But he likes hearing the word _son_ regardless because it's what he is now.

"Does September suit you for our annual boys fishing trip?" Papa Reigns continues, "Because granted it _is_ a little later than usual, but I suppose given everything that happened with that _woman_ it can hardly be helped."

Papa Reigns is talking about his birth mom but he ignores that part of it and blinks at them incredulously,

"You mean– you mean you really _want_ me to come?"

Roman looks up from his work schedule at that point, which is probably _Dean's_ work schedule more than likely too, since he and his big brother do nearly everything together. Well, except for the things that Roman saves for his girl but which is fine by the teenager since he set them up together. Reaching out Roman hooks the hem of his shirt front which is still slightly soapy from helping with the plates and then tows him in a little closer to the table before pulling the scruffy curls into a headlock.

"Damn it uce, how many times I gotta say of _course_ we want you?"

Dean tries to twist himself loose,

"Roman _stop_."

"Besides which you really need a haircut little brother."

He tousles the messy tresses with exaggerated motion and then laughs as the teenager squirms beneath his arm, because even though Dean has had nearly a year of boxing training he is still pretty skinny and yet to hit his growth spurt and so therefore is basically trapped beneath the elbow for as long as Roman keeps him there.

Papa Reigns chuckles,

"Alright enough, let him up."

Dean springs loose but then lifts his head too rapidly so that the blood rushes out of it and leaves him wobbly for a blink, when he refocuses though, Papa Reigns is looking at him with a smile on the big broad and usually business like face.

"Now you listen here my boy."

Dean grins back,

"Listenin'."

"If I'm being honest then I want _you_ there more than I want _this_ one," Papa Reigns loosens a big calloused thumb towards Roman who fakes a look of outrage that makes the teenager beam more, "And besides, this is a trip for the father and sons in this family and I happen to have two sons which means I want them both to come."

Dean bites his lip to stop from whooping loudly.

"But I never been fishin'."

"First time for everything boy and anyway, I can teach you."

"How to catch fish you mean, or shoes?" Dean grins cheekily and then covers his head over as one of the big schedule books is levered his way in a teasing little swat that he knows would never hurt him, because unlike his old man his shiny _new_ father is parental love personified beyond the faux grumpy front and besides which, he has probably earned it for being insolent but which he knows the big man secretly loves.

"Maybe I'll throw you in myself."

"Pa Reigns you stop that," Mama Reigns comes in behind them, holding an enormous plate of lemon cake up, in spite of the fact they have all had beef hotpot and apple dumplings for dessert and cannot possibly have room for more. But Dean still grabs up a gooey slice in case though and holds onto idly savoring the smell. Because he figures a pocket may open in his stomach and suddenly need plugging.

It helps to be prepared.

"My goodness what's all this then?" Mama Reigns blinks at the schedules which she has to shunt to one side over the top of the table to create enough space for the precious lemon cake and which she _then_ has physically has to bat her husband away from since he is _meant_ to be keeping his cholesterol in check. Instead she hands him a bright stick of celery which he takes with a grumble as Roman helps himself to cake.

Dean can barely sit still at the table,

"Roman an' pop are takin' me with 'em when they go on their fishin' trip in a couple of months, an' pop said he's even gonna teach me to catch somethin', because m' plannin' on bringin' home like the biggest fish there is so we can have it for lunch. Maybe even a _whale_ orsomethin _'_."

He grins but his mother seems to falter instead,

"Did you say fishing?"

"Uh huh."

Papa Reigns puts a hand out and pats her arm gently which confuses Dean a bit because instead of looking happy she looks like she is worried and so he instantly he panics he has made her upset.

"Mom?"

Blinking a little like she is waking from a daydream, the family matriarch paints on a smile and then reaches her hand out which she sweeps through his tangle with light loving strokes that brush some of the looser knots out and which the teenager leans into like some beaten street dog, which is precisely what he is, or at least what he _was_.

Not so much now though.

Papa Reigns takes over clearly knowing the problem,

"Now no worrying about him Ma. Because Roman and I will be with him the whole time and we will keep ourselves glued to him, I promise you that now. So none of this panicking about the boy falling overboard or any of that sort of nonsense do you hear me wife? Because I'm not in the habit of losing sons on these fishing trips and I have absolutely no plans of starting that business now."

Dean blinks.

Oh.

His mother is worried about his safety.

It takes a beat or two for him to figure that part out, since people caring for him is all still a pretty new thing and since his parents _before_ had beaten him raw or had left him completely or kidnapped him for ransom. He turns to catch her blouse hem not liking her being anxious and liking even less being the cause of it,

"I'll be okay, Roman an' pop are gonna look after me."

"I know they will baby."

His bigger brother blows out a snort,

"Damn straight uce, been through too much with your damn ass to let your scrawny behind get eaten by a squid now. Not even a lost marlin shaped boot is going to get you," Roman throws a wry look over at his father who glares back at him over a chorus of hushed snorts and then throws his hands up,

"Dean son, looks like it might be just the two of us."

"Fine by me pop."

"Hey uce," Roman lifts up a brow, "Might wanna remember who you live with little brother."

He then follows that up by reaching a hand over and resuming the loose brotherly headlock from before, in response to the teenager insolently poking his tongue out and which makes their patient mother throw her hands up before reaching over to slap at Papa Reigns again who has used the distraction to sneak a slice of cake. Roman mercilessly ruffles the off blonde tangle as his little brother struggles,

"Roman _ugh_ come on, no fair."

"Need to hear you say you're not going without me."

"I _probably_ won't go without you?" Dean offers up instead.

"Nope not good enough," Roman tousles the hair harder so that nothing short of conditioner and a teasing comb will be able to fix it and in response the teenager throws a hand out, but manages to knock over a glass of coca cola which promptly sails over the white tablecloth then hits the pale carpet in a wave of black stickiness.

Mama Reigns gasps and everyone stops.

Oh no.

Dean can hear his heartbeat beginning to pound in triple time as he watches the sugared mixture blend and bubble in the weave. He has been here before. Back when his father spilled a beer one time but then blamed him and made it clear him up.

 _Damn little shit, look what you made happen_.

Dean is back there in a second,

"M' — m' sorry."

He slips free of the headlock then grabs up a napkin which he throws on the puddle as he lands on his knees, but which then panics him _more_ as the white cloth turns brown on him because now he has made not one but _two_ messes to clean up and because his father will beat him raw because of it.

Roman calls out to him tentatively,

"Hey uce?"

"He - he'll hit me. He's gonna be so angry. I gotta clean it up. It - it was an accident I swear."

He is rubbing the napkin further and further into the carpet and breathing so hard he feels he needs to throw up, which wouldn't exactly help the whole _puddle_ fiasco and so he hiccups at the knowledge and swallows it back. He is breathing _fast_ too which makes the world all kind of _spotty_ and there are tears beginning to prickle in his eyes. He is expecting at any second to feel a boot to the stomach or the back of hand swiping in across his head and which is why he then flinches and lets out a whimper as fingers brush across his shoulder and make him scrabble back.

Mama Reigns is crouched on the carpet in front of him with a hand over her mouth.

Mama Reigns.

 _His_ mother now.

Dean blinks and then ever so slowly looks up again.

Papa Reigns and Roman are both watching from the table with silent but heartbroken looks of concern, but on the plus side they remind the teenager where he is precisely and more importantly therefore where he is categorically _not_. He is _not_ in his crappy childhood home any longer and his murderous birth father is safely locked up.

Mama Reigns moves in a little bit closer,

"Baby can I touch you?"

"Uh – uh huh," Dean nods, but he cannot stop the shiver that briefly runs through him as she reaches towards him and pulls him into her arms before beginning to rock and shush him like a baby as the scent of her perfume begins to flow through his veins.

He blows out a breath and then sags,

"M' – m' sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about sweetheart, nothing at all and besides, I've wanted to change this carpet since forever."

 _His_ mother now.

He feels himself relax.

"Now _this_ is why the poor boy needs himself a fishing trip," Papa Reigns offers from the table in broad tones but pointing at his wife with the tip of his dinner fork, which has a piece of lemon cake rammed on the end. Dean snickers weakly and his safe _new_ father winks at him,

"So, does this mean I still get to go?"

From where he is tucked against the buttons of Mama Reigns blouse hem, Dean sounds heartfelt but defeated all at once and in response to the missive all eyes swing to the matriarch, who pauses briefly with her hands still in his hair and with what is obviously still a measure of doubtfulness.

"Oh baby, how could I ever say no to those big blue eyes? But now promise me you'll your lifebelt the whole time and to listen to whatever Pa and Roman tell you to do and not to get too close to the water?"

The teenager nods super keenly in response, but cannot stop the grin that is forming on his features.

Dean Reigns is going on his first boys' fishing trip.

* * *

 **Teen Dean is well and truly back everybody. Also, there is more Papa Reigns in this one too because I feel like Pop still needs to have his moment and so this piece is going to have a lot more focus on the father and son theme.**

 **Hope to see you next time.**

 **Okay, so we're going once a week with this one this time because I'm so busy right now I can hardly think straight, but if I get on top of things I'm hoping to speed the posting up. But for now then, Wednesdays are officially Little Brother days. So strap in** **for the good times (or whatever type of times they happen to be, I mean it is me we're talking about here after all!)**


	2. Two

**Chapter two then everyone and more of Dean being an excited little munchkin here and a few more mentions of what has been happening in their lives since we left them in the last story. Happy reading (I hope)!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Aww, you're very welcome and don't worry either because these two will always be sweet when I write them and especially in this series. Mismatched brothers for the win!**

 **Minnie1015 , Yep, two in one week. I kind of felt like I was neglecting my posting duties by only having one thing to post a week, so I decided to get this re-read and put up pronto to ease myself slowly back into the swing! Plenty of shenanigans too you'll be pleased to hear!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Haha, don't worry, I wasn't expecting it either. I kind of thought I had everything nicely wrapped up in the last one and with nowhere else to go, but then suddenly the ideas started coming again and I realised I love this series too much to give it up!**

 **Cheryl24, Well, Roman has a girlfriend already (who gets a mention here and there) and Dean is trying his best on that front! But don't worry, any romance stuff is super minor and the story is all about the boys and their pop.**

 **Skovko, Yep, this is a real boys' story this time. Because I felt like big Papa Reigns needed him some love! I think deep down Dean will always have those elements of fear still but the good thing is that he knows the Reigns' will never hurt him. Baby steps!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Hey thanks, I'll certainly try!**

 **Mandy, Awww, thank you for your support. I'm so glad you're happy to see this back. I just suddenly got into the mood to write some really good, shameless brother fiction and this was born! Plus I think I missed Mama Reigns, even though it's Papa Reigns who gets more of a spin in this one. As you will see!**

 **Guest, Thanks, hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, now that's what I like to hear! Hope the rest of the chapter lived up to expectations and don't worry, because we're just getting started with this thing!**

 **Back to the boys...**

* * *

 **Two**

Dean buys himself not one but _two_ giant wall planners so he can cross through how many days he has left until their trip, but which he gets in near enough _industrial_ sizes so that they take up the entirety of the walls he puts them on.

He pins the first one up in his bedroom which means he has to move his precious boxing certificates out but which he bubble wraps then keeps in the top drawer of his dresser ready to go back up and take pride of place. The second he installs at the gym in their office which Roman only realizes because he happens upon the scene mid-stick and finds his little brother near enough shrouded in shiny paper as he tries to get the top corners to bond with the bricks.

Roman smirks then leans in the doorway,

"Is this what the kids are wearing these days? Because if it is I think I might be getting a little too old for it. But on the plus side _you_ sure wear it well baby brother."

Dean or the planner grunts back,

"Uh little help?"

Roman leaves the tray of fresh coffees on the desktop then crosses the room to the beaten leather couch. Dean is perched pretty haphazardly on the back of it wearing the monthly planner draped over his head and is beginning to look like he might lose his footing, so Roman hustles over and uses his height to lift up the sides.

Dean appears from beneath it with his hair all tousled but he is grinning like an idiot which is rarely a bad thing and so Roman simply snorts in a fond sort of bewilderment and then helps him to tack the too big poster to the wall, whereupon it becomes pretty clear why he is grinning.

Deans looks flush faced,

"Do you like it?"

"Is _this_ what you were busy with when you were late for supper?"

"Uh maybe?" Dean shrugs then hops from the back of the couch, in a single clumsy movement even though he uses his brother for support since no way will he risk getting hurt before their trip which based on the brand new and annotated planner is only a total of twenty eight days away. Dean has at some point taken a heap of bright pens to it because each of the squares is color coded for ease with the date of their vacation underlined in bold colors with bursts flying from it and the word _trip_ underlined twice.

But he has also made scribbled comments on important things before that, such as _buy sunscreen_ and _learn how to swim_ the latter of which Roman taps with his knuckles.

"Nobody ever taught you how to swim before?"

Dean bumps his shoulders,

"Nope."

Not that the news is a surprise since there are a million and one things Mama and Papa Ambrose had neglected to pass onto their one and only son and given that they could barely put food on the table or hang about or not _hit_ him then why would swimming lessons have been a thing?

Roman puts a hand out and palms the teen fondly,

"Not to worry, I can teach you."

"You mean before we go?"

"Even better," Roman shrugs back, reclaiming one of the coffees that he had stepped from the gym to hand out to the staff and which includes a decaffeinated option for his brother that the teenager has no clue is not the real thing. It works though because the kid is mostly a ball of nerves anyway so therefore Roman knows that full coffee would _not_ be his friend because the last thing he wants is him bouncing off the gym walls, "How 'bout I teach you once we get to the cape?"

Dean blinks back in pure wonder at the statement,

"Like in the actual _ocean_?"

Roman nods,

"No better place and besides, saltwater is easier to float in which is probably why I learnt to swim out there too. Except in _my_ case I had mom freaking out on the shoreline and pretty much repeatedly threatening to call the coastguard in."

Dean grins at the thought,

"Does that mean we're not tellin' her 'bout _me_ learnin' to swim there?"

"Damn straight we're not uce," Roman confirms before giving the floppy hair a last little ruffle then turning to head back over to the desk, which is taken up by plans for their brand new gym empire. Papa Reigns had gifted them two more buildings the month earlier with the intention of expanding their successful business plan, which means they have to design the insides entirely. He flaps them loosely towards his co-owner, "By the way the blueprints came back."

Dean bounces up from the couch,

"Do they look kickass?"

Roman snorts then turns the big sheets around whereupon the teenager scans the faint lines keenly because probably ninety percent of the brainwaves have been his, since the kid seems to eat sleep and breathe their new premises like a twitchy expectant father.

But _hell_ is it good to see him so buzzed.

Especially given the events with his birth mother not to mention his birth father even earlier than that. Dean had been through the eye of the storm and _then_ some but in spite of it all was a happy and healthy kid even if he still had the occasional little foible.

Like freaking out about spilt cola.

 _Damn_ that had hurt.

Dean had mumbled his way through the story behind it later when the two of them had been safely back at the penthouse they shared and he had skulked through in his sweats and explained about the beer spill and the beating he had received over it and the sudden flashback bit. Honestly it's a good thing Papa Ambrose is in prison because sometimes Roman has to fight back the urge to break his face for having put his brother through the shit he had to cope with.

Back in the present the kid throws his hands up.

"Problem little brother?"

"Roman they put the sauna next to the _weight room._ I mean who wants a sauna when they finish benchin' _weights_ because it _should_ be by the pool right?"

Dean Reigns.

Hardened business-teen.

Roman beams a little then opens his mouth to respond to him, but is stopped as a person steps in through the door, then whistles a little at the big planner on the brickwork which takes up a good half of the snug little room and two the top corners of which are already starting to peel loose on him. Roman gets the feeling he will be blu-tacking repeatedly but if it keeps Dean happy it seems a small price to pay.

Ron Killings better known as _Truth_ blinks in bewilderment,

"Now what in the world do we got here?"

"Fishin' trip schedule," Dean replies proudly springing back towards the couch so that he can point out the main squares like some sort of college lecturer with a roomful of students, "Blue squares mean how many days we got left before he head out there an' then these _green_ ones are the things I gotta do before we go, like buyin' supplies an' clothes an' sunscreen."

"Missed something though kid."

"Huh? Like what?"

Dean frowns towards his precious planner in confusion as he teeters on the couch cushions and gives his brother a heart attack. But they both watch as Truth slowly lifts up a finger and plants it on a date like he is writing the words out, but which he announces for them too with a grin on his features,

"Make sure to ask that pretty little blonde out."

Dean blushes furiously.

Renee.

Roman coughs a little to hide the smile that is threatening to spread because honestly it is cute to see how squirmy the kid gets whenever their choppy haired blonde neighbor is brought up. Dean had been brave enough to introduce himself a few weeks earlier when the adoption had gone through and from there they had built up a cute little friendship.

But nothing more than that.

Nothing more _yet_.

In front of them Dean turns so red he goes crimson and then starts to dig with the toe of the shoes in the way he tends to do when he is embarrassed or uncertain. Except that he is still perched bird like on the sofa which means that he wobbles and nearly tumbles off. He is saved by Truth launching out a hand to help steady him as Roman blows a breath out.

His kid brother will be the end of him.

"Easy little man gonna be hard to break those teen hearts if you got a busted leg now."

"M' _not_ breakin' hearts though," Dean mumbles back, moving rapidly from being a business honcho to being a clueless bundle of teenage hormones in love as he sinks into the cushions in a haphazard slumping move which on the plus side, means at least no more tightrope walking for now.

In response Truth folds his broad arms,

"How come man?"

"M' playin' it cool," Dean casually shrugs but way _too_ casually to convince either of the older men because both of them know that the teenager is super scared. In case maybe he is laughed out of town by the girl he likes and which he then makes more obvious by chewing his lip then leaning in and blowing his laid back facade completely, "But I mean what happens if when I _do_ ask her she says _no_ or somethin'?"

He is met with a snort from Truth,

"No way kid I mean how could she say no to our big little boss man with all this messy hair and that too cute boyband smile and those dimples and everything?"

Roman is more helpful,

"Never find out if you won't try uce."

Dean blows a breath out then slumps back a second time like maybe he had expected his older brother to say that word for word, or more likely because the teenager knows it already but somehow wishes there was an easier way. Roman can sympathize though because even with _his_ head start he knows how problematic love can be, which includes his own failed relationship from college and the tentative one he is starting out with his new girl. In fact he even has Dean to thank for that last one since his meddling little brother had set the whole thing up and so he softens a little at the huffy teenage pouting.

"How 'bout we talk it through down at the cape?"

"Really?" Dean blinks,

"Between swimming lessons, sure uce because together I bet the two of us can think up a knockout date plan that Renee _cannot_ say no to little brother, believe that."

Beside them Truth chuckles,

"Boss now _that_ sounds like a plan."

Dean however merely grins back at him with the sparkly eyed contentment and sense of belonging that Roman has been seeing now for nearly twelve months, but which still makes his big old heart thump a little harder because the kid could have ended up living _such_ a different life, or maybe no life at all. Dean however shows no hint of that as he beams a cheesy smile back and then nods,

"Okay bro."

* * *

 **Next chapter Dean gets something he wants and Papa Reigns gets something he doesn't...cryptic is now my middle name by the way!**

 **See you next week!**


	3. Three

**Chapter three! Teen Dean trying to be smooth in this one, plus a tiny little hint of things to come towards the end!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, the Little Brother stories are just my carte blanche to have Dean and Roman being super cute. Or, okay, mostly Roman being a fantastic big brother. So expect plenty more super cute moments to come before the end!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thankee kindly!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, well, let's hope the real answer is that you want to hug him because poor teen Dean isn't even remotely legal yet. Although he's totally thinking that way in this chapter…ah, young love (or teenage angst, one of those anyway!)**

 **Skovko, Hmmm, well, Dean does trying to be bold in this chapter, but yeah, the girl may have to bite the bullet. Still, it's fun to write him trying/growing or basically being a big old hormonal teenager! Good times!**

 **Guest, Glad you liked it!**

 **Yippi-kay yay motherfucker, I will admit without any shame whatsoever that any excuse or storyline I can co-opt in order to have Roman call Dean a pet name I will exploit until there are no more tales left to milk! But yeah, 'babe' and 'little brother' are definitely my favourites…hence this series already being three parts!**

 **Minnie1015, Glad you liked the wall planner visual, god only knows where it came from but it got stuck in my head until I had written it out. Plus, of course teen Dean would be gambling across the back of the couch like a newborn baby giraffe! More of him being awkward and adorable here!**

 **Mandy, Awww, sorry you have the flu, sending vitamin C thoughts (are those a thing?) You're very welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying having teen Dean back. I really missed that little cutie! Brotherly moments always get me and there is no big brother better than Roman!**

 **Teenage embarrassment here we come…**

* * *

 **Three**

Dean is sat on the low wall by the Young house which flanks the steps that lead up to the little porch. He is kicking the heels of his sneakers back and forwards in a rhythmic motion that settles his nerve but his hoodie hidden hands are still sweating pretty badly so he wipes them on his denim fronts as the familiar car rolls up.

He can see the short blonde hair bobbing on the far side but stands up clumsily as the driver gets out because he knows he has to be polite to their neighbors and woman in general and besides which Dean _likes_ moms.

By which he means mothers other than _his_ obviously since _his_ mother is in prison for having tried to kidnap and ransom him. But he likes super traditional cookie baking type mothers like the treasured Mama Reigns and the bubbly woman who clambers out in front of him and then smiles warmly,

"Dean I thought we might see you."

"Hello Mrs. Young."

"Packed up and ready for your big fishing trip tomorrow?"

"Uh I think so," Dean nods back, but by which he means his suitcase has been packed for a week or longer to the point where he has to take his toothbrush out each night. Because he wants to make sure he has everything ready and that nothing is missed out that might ruin his trip.

His first ever trip beyond the state or the city which is kind of pathetic.

"Make sure to take sunscreen."

"God _mom_."

Both of them look up as Renee pads in behind him pulling a school bag overflowing with books because unlike Dean she is still a full time student since _she_ never needed money to try and run away from home. Dean likes that though because his childhood was terrible and he would never want that for anyone but especially not for her.

Renee has her hair in braids that shadow her forehead and is _not_ wearing stupid long sleeves like he is but overalls with sandals that have little charms on them which clink when she walks and which he blinks at for a bit, because pretty much everything about her leaves him tongue-tied. Renee grabs his hand and pulls him away towards the sidewalk while her mother surrenders,

"Okay I get it loud and clear, no more _mom_ suggestions."

Dean blinks,

"But I got sunscreen though."

" _Dean_ ," Renee both hisses and laugh as she pulls him further from the prying eyes of her mother behind a large Ficus tree that is planted out in front. It feels kind of intimate except it's pretty much the total opposite since it puts then out on the main body of the street. But at the same time she wants to hide from her mother. Dean feels his hands turn into a slick.

He coughs too.

From nerves probably.

Except that he kind of has this weird _tickle_ which has been there since the moment he had woken up hours before. He keeps sneezing too and his voice is a little scratchy but he figures that it's nothing because he _never_ gets sick even though Renee is clearly not so convinced on that one,

"Oh no are you sick right before your big trip?"

Dean shakes his head,

"Uh I probably slept with my mouth open or somethin' because I read somewhere once that it can kinda screw your throat up and make it like _husky_."

Dean grits his teeth.

Not cool man.

Is he really standing on the street with his pretty blonde neighbor crush talking about sleeping like the whale from Pinocchio when _she_ probably sleeps like a freaking baby deer, all curled up and cute looking? Dean feels his pant fronts tug on him and then hurries to pull his hoodie a little lower because he feels like a horndog and in no _way_ wants her to see. Luckily however Renee is too busy laughing which hardly helps the hormones which are pumping through his veins.

Damn teenage body.

"I love that you know how to make me laugh like _every_ time."

 _Must be my superpower_.

Dean wants to say that and even opens his mouth to tell her but instead something a whole lot more blundered falls out, like he cannot control his lips and tongue simultaneously.

"M' gonna bring you something from my trip."

Blue eyes blink back,

"Really?"

"Like a really big fish or a shark or somethin'."

He is totally serious on that front too because in his mind fishing is inherently manly and he wants to let her know that he can provide. It is possibly the one thing he has learnt from his father who had bitched and griped about being the man of the house and providing for his family. Not that he really _had_ much of a family except for the kid he had relentlessly beaten up. In response to him Renee once again bursts out giggling and Dean feels himself blush because _of course_ his old man was wrong.

He really _really_ needs to have that talk with Roman.

"I said you make me laugh."

"M' gonna bring you somethin' though, like somethin' really nice," Dean scrabbles to clarify with a lopsided smile like the whole _shark_ line was a prank instead of him being a clueless freaking moron, "But _um_ maybe when I get back we could – ,"

Renee rocks forwards,

"Uh huh?"

His next sentence though is cut off by a shout from the front porch as Mama Youngs come out to call for her kid. In a way that makes Dean both blow a thankful sigh out but also want to curse because _damn_ he was so close. Even if he was clueless as to where he had been going because what could he offer?

"Renee sweetie time for homework."

" _Mom_."

"Now please."

Renee throws her hands up in long suffering but then turns back towards him with an apologetic shrug. It still baffles Dean, because sometimes it's like having a glimpse at how _his_ life would be had he always been an honorary member of the Reigns, instead of freaking out about knocking over coca cola and having vivid flashbacks about being beaten to a pulp.

Renee pauses,

"Um, I better go before she yells again."

"Oh – I mean yeah."

"But have fun on your trip I'm kind of going to miss not laughing at your fish jokes."

For a second she stands not moving in front of him but then suddenly she leans in and rapidly pecks him on the cheek in what is basically nothing more than a split second encounter but which burns through his skin and makes his heart seize.

Had she kissed him?

Like really _properly_ kissed him?

He blinks in a haze as she then skitters on past him moving at a million miles an hour behind the Ficus bush, then up into the house where he hears the front door slam. But he continues to stand there because _holy crap_. Does that mean she likes him or is it maybe a normal girl thing that had happened because he is going away for a while?

But only for the weekend.

His head is spinning on him but he is wearing a huge grin that he cannot hold back or which makes him feel kind of _drunken_ or something. Not that he would know what that really feels like since alcohol reminds him pretty bitterly of his father so he tends to steer clear.

But still –

Renee had _kissed_ him.

He resolves never to wash his face again _ever_ then turns back to the Reigns house where he and Roman are camping out , because Papa Reigns wants to leave early the next morning to ensure they get to the beach house in good time.

He passes his car that is sitting in the driveway because the penthouse only has enough parking for one - and besides which with all of the crazy that has happened he has never quite managed to find the time to take his test - then hops up the steps and stoops to collect a letter that someone has left lying out on the mat with Papa Reigns' name handwritten on it.

He lets himself in then calls out,

"Um pop? I think somebody wrote you a letter but like _wrote_ wrote it."

Dean blinks at the scruffy looking scrawl in bewilderment because that is without a shadow of a doubt. It kind of looks like it has been written by someone hammered or possibly someone in a hurry to catch a bus since the looped words look sort of clumsy or frantic.

In fact he is still blinking at it when Papa Reigns appears in front of him, hoovering up a hefty looking helping of banana loaf which he has clearly swiped from the counter while Mama Reigns is busy with one of her many assorted mom friends on the phone, or more than likely to one of his sisters because Dean now has three of them and they like to call _a lot_.

In response Papa Reigns seems to freeze momentarily like maybe he has been caught by someone that will tell, but he then lets his shoulders slump on seeing the teen stood there and bypasses the beaming grin as he frowns towards the mail.

"Love letters huh son?"

 _Oh god_.

Dean clears his throat rapidly then blushes.

"Uh n-no it came for you, but I found it on the porch so maybe the mailman dropped it?"

Papa Reigns reaches out and takes the envelope from him but weirdly his broad face seems to then kind of _fall_ and he shuts his eyes briefly and huffs in long suffering which scatters a loose hail of banana loaf crumbs in the hall.

"Damn him."

Dean flinches a little at the cursing.

"M' sorry I – I shoulda left it out on the mat but I thought you would want it."

Papa Reigns looks up at him but then seems to clue into the look on the teenaged face and the way Dean is twisting the sleeves of his hoodie in a nervous little motion and he puts out a hand. It moves towards him slowly to prove that it's not a sudden beating and then lands on the back of the copper blonde hair and palms it in a comforting stroking little motion.

"Of course, thank you son,"

"Is it bad news?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Papa Reigns replies evenly, "Disgruntled employee who thinks he can bully back his place, but is very much mistaken. My lawyers have him in hand boy. Besides I have better things to be considering right now."

"Like what pop?"

"Like are my sons packed and ready for our big trip?"

Dean grins a little then nods in confirmation but his reply is cut off by a sudden loud sneeze which basically blasts out of him like some wet and snotty explosion that leaves him rubbing his nose. Because where the hell had _that_ come from?

"Baby are you okay?"

Mama Reigns pops out of nowhere and then bustles towards him with a look of concern as she brushes back her husband and slots in between them to cover his forehead with the reverse side of her palm. It's something that Dean has seen in the movies but never physically experienced before, because his birth father had never cared too much for his wellbeing and besides which he pretty much hardly _ever_ gets sick. Maybe _that_ should be his superpower instead of making Renee laugh?

Renee had freaking _kissed_ him.

Mama Reigns hums then leans in close,

"Honey you're feeling a little bit clammy. Do you feel okay?"

"Uh huh," Dean lies rapidly figuring it best not to mention the cough or the whole scratchy throat thing because he knows she would worry. Possibly she would even try to cancel the big trip and so instead he backs up from her hand and smiles winningly though Mama Reigns seems less certain,

"Baby are you sure?"

"Uh huh must be like _pollen_ or somethin' or uh _excitement_ 'bout the trip tomorrow."

He is probably not fooling either one of his parents but luckily since he seems to be still breathing normally and not hacking up a lung he can pretend like a champ and besides which Mama Reigns is then unhappily diverted as she lays eyes on the banana loaf being clutched by her spouse.

Papa Reigns follows her gaze and then coughs,

"Now Ma - ,"

"Oh spare me you big fraud, honestly Pa, at this rate I'm going to have to start padlocking the cupboards."

Mama Reigns puts a hand out like a stressed high school teacher expecting a student to hand over their phone and in response the big patriarch seems to slump just a little as he begins to pass his sweet treat across. Before it can reach her fingers however, Dean inserts himself fluidly in and takes the banana loaf slice two handed with a grin on his face,

"Uh, thanks for holdin' my cake pop."

Mama Reigns blinks,

"Honey did you say _your_ cake?"

"Uh huh, pop took it from me when he saw me 'bout to sneeze because otherwise I probably would have thrown it on the carpet an' made a huge mess."

Papa Reigns nods back,

"Right."

But he shoots a wink of thanks towards the teenager as his sweet wife then surges in to apologize for her mistake which Dean feels more than a little bit bad for, but Papa Reigns does _love_ him some cake and so the teenager merely smiles then fends off a second sneeze because no _way_ is he sick.

Nothing will ruin the big trip.

* * *

 **Okay, for those who are wondering, nope, teen Dean's romantic life won't really be a feature of this particular story, but hey, he's a sixteen year old boy, so it had to get a mention somewhere!**

 **Next chapter, the biggest non-cliffhanger ever. Is Dean sick and what will Roman do when he finds out. Brother fluff!**


	4. Four

**So, to make up for no Dean and Roman goodness in the last one, please accept a chapter of shameless brotherly fluff and Roman being a big brother and worrying, of which there is plenty more to come!**

 **Mandy, Teen Dean is adorable and he's so much fun to write. I love how chirpy and chaotic he is, especially after everything he's been through! Sometimes I aspire to be like Teen Dean (except maybe with less kidnapping and historical trauma, but hey, you know!) Hope you're feeling better *hugs***

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Mine always starts with a sore throat, but yep, coughing is usually how they get you! Pretty sure Renee wouldn't mind having Dean's germs, seems like a lovesick sort of teenage thing that kids might think is romantic somehow. Besides, she only kissed his cheek so she might be in the clear on this! Hope your cough is gone now too!**

 **Skovko, Dean showing up with a shark would be very Dean like, and for extra measure it would probably still be alive too and sort of writhing around on the driveway while he grins super proudly. Aww, he's too cute!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, hugging Teen Dean is acceptable yes, plus anymore of that and Renee might fight you for him! She'll pop back up later, but this is a story about the boys and manly bonding and all that roar, me Tarzan, kind of stuff!**

 **Guest, All questions on Dean's health will be answered in this one, well, sort of anyway. Cue Roman concern! Yeah, I love exploring Dean being all teenage awkward in the romance stakes. It's too cute and was way too good to pass up!**

 **Minnie1015, Yeah, I'm too mean to him, kid can never catch a break huh? But come on, the idea of a snuffly Teen Dean wrapped in a blanket being taken care off was too much for me to hold back. Because the only thing cuter than a regular Teen Dean is a sleepy, poorly one (you totally know I'm right!)**

 **Rebel8954, Yep, you got it, the disgruntled employee thing is definitely going to crop up again before this story wraps up *links fingers behind back and then walks off whistling***

 **Brotherly bonding time...**

* * *

 **Four**

Roman up wakes to the weird sensation of being on a ship that is bouncing through waves but which bewilders him a little because as far as he can remember he had shut his eyes in his bedroom at the Reigns family house and _not_ in the cabin of an ocean going cruiser.

He cracks a brown eye warily.

"Hey, mornin' uce."

Dean is for some reason stood physically _on_ the mattress like he has handed over a token for a ride on a bouncy house, since he is flexing the springs beneath his feet like a child and flushed full of such excitement that it has turned his cheeks red and made his hair look sticky and sweaty.

Roman blinks at that last bit though.

How can that be right?

"Bro you gotta get up so we can get to the beach house an' get fishin' an' so you can teach me like how to swim an' stuff. _Oh_ an' I need to think of somethin' for Renee too because she might 'a _kinda_ kissed me last night. I mean like, only on the cheek but I said I would get her somethin' so it needs to be perfect because she does _not_ want a fish."

Roman frowns,

"Did you say she kissed you?"

He cannot take his eyes off the flush of the cheeks or the too sticky looking forehead because he knows it means something but is struggling to figure _what_ in his newly woken state. In response to him Dean blows his breath out in embarrassment clearly still stuck on the whole _Renee thing_ then folds himself onto the mattress from standing so that the whole surface bounces.

He scratches his neck,

"Uh, I mean yeah but not like a _real_ kiss more like a peck so no freakin' out."

Dean waves a hand to imply the kiss meant nothing which is way too casual to be believable at best, but then suddenly coughs which makes his nose sort of _snuffle_ and which makes the sticky bangs and hot cheeks make total sense.

Dean is sick.

Roman pushes himself upright and then presses the back of his palm to the clammy head where it hovers for a moment taking stock of the temperature before the teenager rocks backwards and then breaks the probing touch with a huffy looking frown not to mention a croaky timbre.

How had the older man managed to miss _that_?

"Dude stop touchin' me."

"No can do uce, because it looks to me like my kid bro is running hot and I'm not feeling happy about those blocked sinuses either so hold still a second."

Dean shakes his head,

"But m' never sick. I mean like _ever_ because m' pretty sure I kinda like trained myself _not_ since my birth pop would have probably kicked the tar outta me if I did, or tried to stay in bed or threw up or whatever, so I figure _not_ gettin' sick is my one of my super powers."

"Did you say _one_ of your powers?"

Dean nods back at him,

"Uh huh."

"Does that include being able to breathe through your nose too?"

Dean blinks and then opens his mouth to respond to him but is cut off as Roman covers it over loosely with his palm, but hard enough to complete a near enough seal which makes the nose start to snuffle and the blue eyes begin to bulge. Dean scrabbles at him and so Roman lifts it up again with his mission complete,

"Never get sick, huh?"

Dean gapes back at him in pure teenage outrage,

"Dude were you like _tryin'_ to kill me? Because I _totally_ saw my life flash before my eyes."

He is being melodramatic but it still packs a wallop because both of them that know if it _had_ flashed before him then the memories of his life would be mostly comprised of hurt and training his poor body not to get sick ever and invite in more beatings. Papa Ambrose should feel lucky he is already in a jail cell because sometimes Roman would like ten minutes with the guy in a room.

Instead he snorts fondly,

"Nah, no point uce because if I _wanted_ to kill you I would wait a few more hours and _then_ throw this hairy head into the sea. I mean I've been thinking about putting a pool table in the apartment and bad news, but your bedroom would kinda be the perfect place."

Dean grins,

"Is that how pop _really_ slipped in last time?"

"Hey I warned him not to bring up the _me leaving college_ thing."

Roman spreads his hands and then shrugs super casually which makes the teenager laugh out loud. Not that Roman minds hearing it in the least though since initially it had taken him so long to get out, back in the beginning when the teen had trusted no one.

Dean twists towards the threshold grinning,

"Roman pushed you in pop."

"Damn little snitch."

Roman throws himself towards his scruffy haired brother then presses him headfirst into the sheets, while cruelly tickling the bare exposed middle because it turns that out Dean is pretty reactive and squirms like a baby when certain places are touched. Not that it had come as a big shock to Roman since uncovering his ticks is an ongoing thing and in some ways the kid is still opening up to them.

" _Roman_ stop."

"Gonna tell on your brother huh?"

Dean opens his mouth but then suddenly starts coughing as he inhales way too rapidly and stresses his scratchy throat, which hacks and makes the kid then turn nearly blue with it so that Roman is forced to hurriedly pull him up and bang between his shoulders.

"Easy uce, nice long breaths now."

It takes a little while and a few squeezed out tears too, because for a horrible moment it seems like Dean is choking to death, but then thankfully the fit seems to pass much like it started which means basically out of nowhere. Dean slumps wearily back then mutters a _holy crap_ before suddenly looking up in horror as the blue eyes grow wide,

"Don't tell mom okay bro?"

Roman blinks,

"Huh?"

"Because she'll probably get worried an' cancel the trip or somethin'."

Dean swipes at a lingering cough tear and the movement makes the older man falter just a little because maybe cancelling the trip _would_ be a good idea given that the kid is massively snuffly and husky and has basically nearly hacked up a freaking lung.

Roman pauses hesitantly,

"Listen uce – ,"

Dean barks back at him in pleading tones,

" _Please_ Roman I – I'll wash the dishes for a month – _two_ months. But _please_ let me go 'cos I've never been on a vacation. I mean before I came here I never even packed my things – well except for the times I tried to run away from my birth pop but we both know how _that_ went."

Roman winces a little.

Goddamn.

But then hot on the back of his heartfelt bargaining the teen lets out a wet sounding sneeze which Roman blocks by throwing up a spare pillow yet hardly helps to further plead his case. Except for the fact that Dean looks like a puppy when Roman finally lowers his snot-shield down, with the big blue eyes blinking hard and fast at him in a mixture of post-coughing and lack-of-fishing-trip fear.

Roman blows a breath out.

Because how could he say no to him?

If the kid wanted the moon he would have plucked it from the sky, since honestly given everything that Dean had been forced to live through a simple fishing trip hardly seems too much to ask. Which is therefore why the bigger man rumbles,

"Okay uce but - ,"

"Holy crap, you're the _best_."

" _But_ ," Roman continues since there are points to the whole thing that will probably be beyond even _his_ control, "If you get worse before we get going or if mom finds out then you're on your own uce, because even if I _wanted_ to no _way_ could I sweet talk her into letting you come out sick."

Dean nods back keenly,

"Deal."

Frankly Roman figures that the ruse will last two seconds because if there is one thing about his mom that he knows for damn sure then it's the fact that she is basically a bloodhound with her children and therefore can pretty much _taste_ sickness in the air. Dean lounges in his room on the bed sniffing and harrumphing while the older man slides into the bathroom to change and then they plod together into the kitchen and the motherly nexus.

But Dean has a plan.

Plan?

Maybe more like a government _conspiracy_ which in hindsight turns out to be a horrible idea even though it works to a tee to begin with because basically the teenager stuffs his face full of food. Bacon, pancakes and toppings included which means he cannot speak when Mama Reigns probes.

"Honey are you feeling okay today?"

"Mmhmm."

"No more of that sneezing from yesterday?"

Dean shakes his head and honestly the kid _might_ be some sort of genius, because it means that his husky voice goes thankfully unheard and even seems to work since their mother simply smiles at him then combs fingers through his hair and replenishes his empty glass.

Darn little mastermind.

In fact by the time big Papa Reigns makes it downstairs Dean has eaten so much there is hardly any left to spare. Not that the teenager himself much seems to notice as he hauls Roman from the breakfast bar speaking rapidly through half chewed food and nearly spilling orange pulp over his brother who is basically mid-swallow when he is dragged from the room.

"Me 'n Roman are gonna put the bags in the car pop."

Dean even keeps silent when they say their goodbyes, which happens less than one long hour later and when their car is loaded pretty much to bursting point. But he _does_ sort of headbutt Mama Reigns in the chest a little in his haste to wrap his scrawny arms in close, in a hug that turns out to be surprisingly emotional.

From Mama Reigns obviously.

But also from Dean.

Not that Roman can especially blame him since it will easily be the longest that the pair have been apart in the nearly twelve months that the teenager has known her for and considered her his safe place and the loving mother he _should_ have had.

Mama Reigns teases his hair with her fingers,

"Go have fun baby, but be safe."

"Uh - uh huh."

Dean nods back before swiping his eyes a little and then heading for the backseat which will probably be a squish, since not only is the trunk pretty filled to overflowing but the inside of the car is full of bait boxes as well. Roman reaches out and palms the kid fondly as the teenager slopes somewhat hesitantly past the hood but then steps forward smiling to replace him as his mother holds her arms out and then warmly beckons in her first born son.

Make that _only_ born son. Well, to her anyway.

He hugs her,

"Gonna be okay here on your own mom?"

"Not to worry sweetie, I have Judy from the boxing club coming round to keep me company."

Roman blinks a little since he is pretty sure Judy is the wily old lady who usually turns up half drunk and who pinches his butt whenever he passes by her and then gives him a wink as she leans on her stick. Frankly he's not too sure he wants that influence for his mother but she seems excited.

"I'm making margaritas."

Uh oh.

Roman snorts,

"No getting wasted and mooning the neighbors."

"Oh my goodness honey absolutely not. It will simply be two gal pals chatting for the most part and besides, I could probably say the same thing to you. Make sure you look out for your brother and your father come to think of it since we already know he tends to fall overboard."

Roman chuckles at the voice that responds to her,

"I heard that Ma."

"Good, you were supposed to."

Roman grins. But in spite of his pretending to be mortally offended the family patriarch moves over to his wife and then pecks her cheek gently in the long-time happily married way that Roman hopes to one day have for himself. Possibly _will_ too since his brand new relationship is going slowly but undeniably well and besides which, she loves Dean which is kind of the main thing since he and the kid are a package kind of deal.

Papa Reigns claps his hands,

"Right then no point standing about here when we have miles to cover."

Mama Reigns waves them off, standing on the driveway with her arms hugged close around her but with her mind probably on lime wedges and triple sec liqueur. Roman turns round and places a hand on Dean's kneecap and the kid smiles back and then blows a breath out as the wobbly pre-homesick feeling slowly ebbs away from him and the excitement bubbles up.

But he still throws up his breakfast one hour later.

Yep, no doubt about it.

Kid brother is sick.

* * *

 **So, Dean is officially off on his very first vacation, but will his sickness get in the way and what does he think about seeing the sea for the first time? Well, better tune in next week to find out!**

 **See you there folks!**


	5. Five

**Dean's first time seeing the ocean coming up! Also, Papa Reigns is great. That is all.**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yay, I'm glad you're feeling much better, hopefully you feel even better better by now! Dean however is still feeling pretty rotten and he's going to be feeling that way for a little longer too (sorry Dean!)**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Awww, thanks.**

 **Skovko, Yep, typical male teenage brain. Dean wants what he wants and what he wants is a boys' fishing trip. Of course, we know the kid needs to be tucked in bed. The good news it that Roman knows it too. Go Roman! Brother of the year, as ever...**

 **HannonsPen, Dean is a great believer in mind over matter. I mean, at least until he throws up anyhow. But yep, the kid got exactly what he wanted, because now he, Roman and pop are officially out on the road. All plain sailing from here right? Um, maybe?**

 **Guest, Don't worry, Papa Reigns becomes very aware of Dean being sick in this one (it ends up being inescapable). Plus, it means I get to write more mushy family goodness. So strap yourself in because they'll be a lot of that. Papa Reigns needs his moments to shine too!**

 **Rebel8954, Dean is a bundle of teenaged hormones and also a boy, so what do you expect?! These young whippersnappers have no patience *waves non-existent stick in the air* But yeah, you can't be too mad at Dean though. I mean, it is his first vacation...not that it ends up going well…*foreshadowing, foreshadowing***

 **Minnie1015, Good news, because for your reading pleasure I have brotherly and fatherly feels in this one, plus helpings of awestruck Dean, which is always cute (I hope). But yeah, that catching a break thing might be hard to come by in this story. What can I say? I'm a mean one (Ms Grinch).**

 **Mandy, My mum is doing really well thank you. I'm super proud of how well she's come through and is coping. A check up scan before Christmas, but hopefully all will be well *crosses fingers and toes*. I'm glad you love teen Dean. He's so much fun to write. Plus I love all the family vibes and sweetness. I hope you do too, because here comes more!**

 **Also Roman is great too...**

* * *

 **Five**

Dean falls asleep somewhere midway through Connecticut with his head resting on a funky smelling tackle box since the puking and the sore throat and the coughing are too much for him and sap his reserves like an oncoming flood.

Briefly when he had thrown up on his knees on the roadside having scrabbled for the handle and forcing Papa Reigns to pull up, there had been a conversation about maybe going home again which the teenager had chipped into pretty pitifully between hacks,

"No m' okay _please_."

Papa Reigns had palmed his hair back as he had finally stopped hurling his guts into a bush while Roman had produced a washcloth drenched in bottled water which he had wiped around his lips and then pressed to his head.

Dean had leaned into it and honestly speaking had he not felt like crap it might have even been _nice_ since he had never had people in his life that had babied him. Not even when he _had_ been a baby to that point and yet there he was on his knees on the roadside being cosseted and cared for at the heady age of sixteen and with the kind of love that he still had to pinch himself to fathom.

Papa Reigns had felt his forehead in a Reigns family clean sweep.

"How long have you been sick son?"

"Not long, m' sorry."

Roman had blown a breath out,

"Nah, I take the blame for this one pop because I'm the one that knew he had a fever."

Dean had blinked a little bit at that part because how in the world had he ever ended up with a brother as brilliant as Roman was? He had no idea. Sometimes he still felt like he was back with his father and that the Reigns family and their love were some beautiful dream or a long spell of psychosis he had maybe fallen into thanks to his horrible _old_ father having beaten him too hard.

He had sat up in a panic,

"No, wait, you can't blame Roman. I _made_ him keep it a secret so you _can't_ be mad at him."

Papa Reigns had smiled back,

"Easy my boy, I'm not mad with anyone because these things happen sometimes and simply can't be helped. I mean, the human body is hardly immortal and yours has been through a hell of a lot. Honestly I'm surprised that you managed to make it _this_ long without picking something up."

Dean had blinked,

"R-really?"

"Of course son, only _now_ we need to work out what to do about it."

It had been settled pretty rapidly that going home was not an option because not only would Mama Reigns be beside herself with worry and probably never let Dean out of her sight again, but _also_ because they would ruin her big girls' weekend and the pitcher of cocktails that she was busy mixing up for Judy from the boxing club who had her eye on Roman.

Much to the general amusement of the teen.

His older brother had even been known to hide in the supply closet until he knew the septuagenarian boxer had passed by, which naturally the staff at the gym had been super nice about. Like the time they had stacked up a pile of deliveries in front of it so he couldn't get out.

"Every one of you is fired."

Dean had let him loose again because he would never let them be _too_ mean.

He loved his older brother way too much for that.

In the end it is decided that in spite of the teenage nausea and the coughing and the sneezing which have both stepped up a pace, that the best plan is for them to simply carry on with their weekend and hope that the sea breeze blows the sick out of Dean. Papa Reigns hits a gas station so they can buy a bottle of ginger ale to stave off the sickness but then they take to the road again. Deans falls asleep but dreams pretty fitfully because his birth father is in them.

Bellowing and punching and kicking like usual.

Dean wakes with a start,

"Huh?"

He feels a hand on his knee and looks up rapidly into big brown peepers that are twisted back towards him from the confines of the front seat and at which point the smell of the bait boxes hits him but beyond which there is a hint of sea salt and a breeze.

Roman smiles,

"Hey we're almost there now uce, thought you might wanna see this."

Dean rubs at his face and then tries hard to ignore how horrible his throat feels and the way his head hammers as he blinks out at the scene and the field stretched beyond them flanking the roadside in hues of yellow flowers and bright lush greens and the sandy path beside it and the sea in the distance.

Dean blinks a couple more times.

Hold up _the sea_?

But yep there it is like a broiling savannah, but one that he has only seen on television and in books before and so which he therefore kind of gapes at with his sickness forgotten because it goes on forever and never seems to stop. It's sunny out too which means the water sort of glitters and the breeze blowing in through the cracked window feels pure.

"I'm gonna learn to swim in _that_?"

He sounds enraptured.

Roman however sounds less certain,

"Maybe, but how 'bout we see how you feel when we get there?"

Dean settles back again but watches intently as the main road then slings them through a cute little town, which has narrow streets and hordes of clustered weather boarded buildings with strings of bunting tacked up overhead and people happily window shopping. He wonders if he might be able to find something for Renee, even though he has no clue what to buy her except for no fish.

He knows that part now.

Beyond the little township the country opens out again, but the fields and lushness seem to have gone, because instead he sees only reedy grasses and sand dunes and big spaced out houses flanking the rocky shores.

Papa Reigns pulls up in front of the biggest of the lot of them, which is set back from the road and hunkered down low but which is sprawling nonetheless and covered in grey tiling which makes it look modern but not too out of place. In the middle there is a porch with what looks like a skylight with a two storied wing leading straight off from that and which is likely where the bulk of the many many rooms are even though the garage has windows over it as well, so that the whole long expanse feels completely gigantic.

But then what else did he expect?

Roman grins back,

"Here she is little brother the Reigns family beach house."

"Holy crap dude it looks - ," Dean breaks off with a cough and possibly fearing that he is going to throw up again Papa Reigns briskly taps the steering wheel with his palm then turns to face the both of his children in a no nonsense manner,

"Best get inside then."

Inside.

Inside the place is even _more_ amazing.

From the family room with the ginormous stone fireplace in it to the kitchen it runs into with the table for ten, not to mention granite worktops and more surface space than he can fathom and then the island bar with _more_ seating in case ten is not enough.

From there the room leads through into cosy a snug area where he imagines his Mama Reigns putting her feet up with a good book and there is also a room with a billiards table which is exciting because he has no idea what _billiards_ even is.

Kinda like pool he thinks.

But best of all by far is the terrace out beyond that, which runs the entire long length of the house and butts up practically onto the seafront so that Dean feels like the waves are crashing _underneath_ his feet and certainly would be if he stepped out onto the jetty because it has one of those too.

Droplets of seawater splash into his face and feel incredible.

"So, think you can put up with staying here uce?"

"Hell yeah."

Roman grins at the look on the teenaged features,

"I used to love this place back when I was a kid but I think I'll love it more being able to share it with my brother," Roman reaches out and then pulls in the tangled birds' nest and even though Dean can feel him checking on his temperature not even _that_ can lessen the mood and besides which he _is_ starting to feel a little icky. Not that he remembers that part when he sees a sudden spurt.

"Uce was that a whale?"

"Nah, sorry partner only a wave on the breakers."

"Hmm well it _looked_ like one, because they have 'em out here right? Do you think we might see one? Humpbacks or somethin' I think I read up. Oh an' can we go back to the town we passed through? Because I still need to find somethin' to take back for Renee."

Roman nods,

"I think we can manage that."

"But I kinda think I should probably learn to swim first because that seems important."

Dean lets loose a wet sneeze which promptly gets whipped right up by the sea breeze and possibly is then tossed back into the house. He swipes at his nose with the cuff of his hoodie and in response Roman smiles then cups the back of his head and it seems weird to Dean that only twelve months before that he shrank away from human touch of any form. Now he loves it and cannot get too much of it because it means love and safety and family and warmth.

"Maybe you should get a little shuteye first brother."

"No way dude, I feel _totally_ fine."

Roman smirks,

"Hmm well then maybe I should show you to the bedrooms so you can get changed for swimming?"

His room is on the first floor but in the wing of the house that is over the garage since the main level upstairs is turned completely to the master suite and Papa Reigns even has a terrace as well. Luckily however the other rooms are also pretty sizeable and even have a view of the ever moving sea which Dean simply cannot take his eyes off for a second.

Even though his eyes _do_ feel pretty tired.

Kind of hot and a little itchy too.

Roman throws his case up onto the mattress and the comfy springs flex hard beneath the heavy weight and leave an indentation in the cosy blue comforter which looks more snuggly than anything Dean has seen.

Roman opens the cupboards,

"I'm in the next room if you need me for anything. But now how 'bout that swimming?"

Dean kind of misses the knowing grin because at some point that the teenager cannot quite remember he seems to have fallen face first onto the bed and succumbed to an incoming wave of exhaustion that numbs his sore throat and his ever pounding head and swallows him whole.

His older brother tousles him,

"Yeah, like I thought uce, _exactly_ like I thought."

* * *

 **Sssh, everybody needs to exit this chapter quietly to avoid having to wake up little sleeping Dean.**

 **More brotherly goodness coming up in the next instalment before we hit the craziness. Hope to see you there!**


	6. Six

**Okay, so one more nice easy chapter for you guys before we dip our toes into the crazy. Hopefully you love the brother stuff as much as I do though. Teen Dean and Big Bro Roman are just such fluffy content to write!**

 **Sodapop25, Thank you for reviewing! Teen Dean and Roman sure appreciate it (me too).**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Aww, thank you kindly. Hope you enjoy this next instalment.**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yeah, Dean is a typical teenage boy in this story. He's either going at a million miles an hour or he's stalled at zero and flat out. Lucky he has Roman to trick him into sleeping and to make sure he gets his rest. Brother knows best!**

 **Skovko, Yep, because Dean is going to need his strength over the rest of this story. Sickness or no sickness (but, because it's me and I'm cruel to him, rest assured it will be sickness!) Because, come on, we all love when Roman is worried about his little uce, right?!**

 **Guest, Papa Reigns is** _ **almost**_ **as great as Mama Reigns as hopefully you are going to see throughout this one. Papa Reigns is going to get his moment. But, on the plus side, not before Roman has fussed a little more. Brothers for the win in this one!**

 **Minnie1015, We are inching towards the craziness, I promise. But you know me and my obsessive scene setting! Plus we need a little bit of reminiscing first and some good old fashioned fever talk. Then we can let hell break loose!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Oh no! No notifications?! Stupid thing. Well, every Wednesday for this one, so I'll be here if you are! Mental preparations for the craziness will be needed, but I'll give you a little more time to prepare, because first we have some more family content, just for you!**

 **Mandy, Awww, thank you. I feel like adult Dean in the police stories is the way teen Dean would have turned out if he'd stayed with his old man. Whereas adult Dean in this universe will probably be a bit more settled and less paranoid and grumpy! But hey, I do love me some grumpy adult Dean too!**

 **Goodness coming your way…**

* * *

 **Six**

Back when Dean had first moved in with them he had been plagued by brutal nightmares that had torn through his sleep and often left the poor kid screaming and clawing to get a loose in a way that had stabbed Roman clean through the heartstrings because Dean been _terrified._

Damn old man Ambrose.

But over the months they had slowly scaled back a pace before withering and fading into nothing at all, which had probably been the biggest milestone there was for them since it meant that the teenager had shucked his demons loose and banished them from his psyche.

Dean had been sleeping through the nights since that moment, which is probably why when Roman blinks into the blackness at two in the morning he has no clue as to why, or what could have woken him or why his heart is pounding with a sense of unease.

But then he hears it.

"No _stop_ \- ,"

Dean.

From the moment that the kid had passed out on the bedspread he had basically been near impossible to rouse and had slept through dinner and their first evening at the beach house as his poor infected body had taken stock and tried to heal.

Poor little uce.

Roman had stripped him out of his day clothes because the sickened teenager had at one point been hotter than hell, while his father had brought the boy back into wakefulness for long enough to take a hit of cold and flu gloop, which had _not_ been well received. Dean had retched on taking it. But it _had_ helped ease the fever a little bit and from that point on all had been well, which is why it takes a beat for Roman to make sense of things and the sound of weakened limbs tossing and turning in the sheets, like the kid is trapped within them and panicking.

Damn it all.

Roman rolls out of bed then nearly breaks his neck on his own sheets, which probably would have been totally their luck, before stumbling into the corridor between their bedrooms and bursting through the doorway into where his brother is.

"Hey uce, you okay?"

In order to help keep the fever from climbing Roman had left one of the windows flung wide and so the first thing he sees in the ocean reflected moonlight is the thin white net curtains being buffeted by the breeze. But the _second_ thing he sees is the figure on the mattress with his usually messy hair even _more_ tangled than before and the face screwed up with pain as he calls out plaintively and tries to throw his hands up against some nightmare based foe, who is by no means hard to figure.

"No please m' sorry - ,"

Roman stumbles over and places hands on his shoulders simply thankful that his father tends to sleep like the dead, since Dean will probably be embarrassed enough when he wakes up without their bewildered looking pop stood in the room.

"Uce, wake up, it's okay I've got you."

Blue eyes blink back at him,

"R-Roman?"

Dean sounds like hell, or like his throat is slowly being hacked at by razor blades which based on the heavy wince is more than likely how it feels. He seems hot again too which is probably the reason behind the nightmare, so Roman reaches for the medicine on the nightstand.

"Uh huh, no worries buddy, it's only big brother."

"But where _are_ we?"

"Down at the beach house on the cape, remember uce?"

"Oh," Dean blinks and for a moment looks baffled but then relaxes himself back into the sheets which Roman takes to mean that his brain has caught up to him and is therefore probably a pretty good sign. Even though he still twists the child proof cap off the medicine which clicks out loudly and makes the teen shake his head and then back up pitifully until he is bumping the headboard, "No – no more uce, that stuff tasted like _butt_."

Roman snorts,

"Do I even _want_ know how you know that?"

Dean groans in a way that says _eww gross man_ but which then looks more than a little bit green with it so Roman figures it might be best to get the kid all dosed up again and pours out a cupful before holding it up, then passing it over to the hesitant teenager who reluctantly takes it.

Damn, he _must_ be feeling rough.

Dean swallows but then retches like he is going for the record until Roman shoves some water into the trembling hand, then palms back the hair because he knows the teen likes it but also because he has no real other way to help.

Dean shudders,

"Ugh, that tastes like, _so_ bad."

"I know uce but I promise it's gonna make you feel better."

Roman leans himself back lazily against the kickboard and then stretches his legs out so that they prod at the teen, who snorts a little then hacks another cough out before elbowing the toes like he hates them in his space. He still looks flushed and hazy and _miserable_ but there is also a hint of brightness that the older man likes, even though the kid is clearly worried about other things.

He fights back a sneeze,

"Do you think mom will be alright? _Like_ bein' on her own I mean? Because the house is big and mom is kinda _little_ an' she might get lonely or somethin' I guess."

Roman grins.

"Nah she'll be having her big girls' weekend."

"I – I kinda wish she was here though, to take care of me I mean."

Roman totally gets that, because not only is their mother a parenting wonder who makes the task of having kids look like a breeze, but she and Dean have a powerful connection which nobody else in the family can touch. In terms of their own relationship Roman and Dean are brothers and best friends and there is no one in the world the kid trusts more than his saviour or feels safer with ever and Roman knows that, but the kid looks at their mother like he cannot believe it or he thinks she might vanish which is both heartbreaking and pretty cute.

Dean bites his lip,

"Is she gonna be mad at me when she finds out I was sick?"

"Nah not at you uce, probably at me and pop for not taking you straight back home though, but never at you. How could she be mad at her favorite person in this family?"

Dean grins toothily in the moonlight,

"Do you think?"

Roman blows out a noise with his lips which means _for sure_ _man_ then hooks a pillow from the head end of the bed which he wedges beneath his neck before he gets a crick in it and also sends the message that he plans to stay put, or at least until the kid is sound asleep again.

Dean smiles but then falters,

"Hey uce?"

"Somethin' wrong?"

"M' sorry I ruined the fishing trip or whatever."

Dean heaves a breath in that bubbles in his bronchioles then looks at his hands which are tangled in the sheets and the whole pose of which screams heavy teenage guilt alarm since the kid is real good at beating himself up. Probably a side effect of being blamed for so long for everything that his birth father had been even mildly less than pleased about and which had included pretty much everything from their perpetual lack of money to freaking _bad weather_.

Roman frowns at him,

"Hey now – ,"

"Probably won't even want me to come with you next time."

"Dean stop, okay? Because your ass is _family_ now, which means we'll always, _always_ want you to come. No matter how much snot you spray over things or throw up in the bushes."

Roman gets an eye roll for that,

"Not funny man."

But in spite of the kid trying his best to look huffy he slumps into the pillow nest looking content, or at least as content as he is probably able to given that he obviously feels like hot crap. His blue eyes flutter but before they close completely the older man sucks in a fortifying breath, because experience with the kid and his long spell of nightmares has taught him that they tend to flare back up again and that the best way to get them completely out of the teenaged headspace is to talk them through a little. Even though he _hates_ hearing them.

"Uce, was it him?"

Dean shrugs back loosely,

"I mean, it kinda always is right, _like_ same old same old?"

"Might make it easier if you talked to me about it," Roman offers back a lot more evenly than he feels. Dean hacks a cough loose that shakes the bed a little and then groans as the pressure clearly hurts his thumping head and then makes his voice sound even more crackly.

"He – he got mad at me because I was sick."

Roman bites his tongue tip.

 _Bastard_.

Dean carries on however,

"I – I was back in my old house, an' he found me in bed still an' started to beat on me."

He shrugs his shoulders a second time, like there is little more he can or else _wants_ to say about it and Roman nods back because he pretty much has the gist and like he knew he would, he hates every last bit of it. But instead of saying that he merely taps the teenaged shin bone, since he is sat too far away to tousle the birds' nest like he wants, far less too far away to goddamn strangle Papa Ambrose.

"Easy little bro, nobody here is gonna hurt you, _ever_."

Dean lets his eyes flicker shut,

"Mmhmm I know."

"I'm gonna stay here a little too and make sure that fever goes."

Plus the older man is kind of comfy as hell and besides which there is something about seeing the teen sleepy and safe and relaxed which is lulling and straight up _nice._ Because Roman has done that. Roman had taken a chance on a scrappy kid twelve months back and changed _both_ their lives for the better in every way.

Dean hums across at him sluggishly and super sleepily,

"Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"I – I nearly asked Renee out but her mom interrupted an' - ," Dean coughs then tapers off as he is knocked completely out by a wave of exhaustion. Roman grunts and then pats the leg again before letting his hand sort of linger over the bedclothes as a reminder to the slumbering teen that he is there, in the hopes it will hold back any following nightmares then shuts his eyes for what he thinks will be a blink. Instead though he turns out like a light almost instantly and follows his kid brother over the brink.

* * *

 **Okay, so next chapter as I promised, we dip our toes into the crazy pool and from that point on we plunge right in. Hope to see you there!**


	7. Seven

**Okay, so, from this chapter one we get a taste of where we're going. Hope you like it.**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, I know, Dean just wants to have a nice time with his dad and his brother. But there's a horrible writer in the way throwing obstacles in their path (and one more in this chapter too, quite a big one!) I regret nothing though!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you so much and glad you're still with me. The story is going to take a bit of a turn now, so I hope you're still on board by the end!**

 **Skovko, Well, as ever you are right in one way, but it's not that Roman gets sick. Instead I'm throwing another curve ball at them, because...well, because it's me I guess?! I would apologise to them but hey, I'll be honest, it's kind of fun to do this to them! Sorry, not sorry!**

 **Guest, Roman taking care of Dean in any universe or capacity is amazing to write, but I won't lie, I love big Roman and teen Dean maybe most of all. Besides, Dean** _ **has**_ **to tell his brother everything. I kind of see teen Dean as having word vomit with people he knows and trusts. Lots more protective caring Roman to come, so strap in!**

 **Minnie1015, Yep, some nice Roman and Dean brother time before I go and ruin it all (or make it better, you decide!) But hey, it wouldn't be a Little Brother (or me) story without some real drama or peril, right?!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, well, I would maybe stow your swimsuit for a little while, because there's a storm brewing in this chapter. Both literally and figuratively *cue evil laughter*...**

 **Mandy, Hey, I was starting to worry about you a little bit there! Glad you're present and correct! Yep, life can suck sometimes and seem so damn difficult, but you never know what is coming around the bend, so even when it sucks, keep on keeping on. With you all the way!**

 **Brace yourselves...**

* * *

 **Seven**

Dean is fast asleep when Roman wakes the next morning having evidently slept through at the foot of the bed and even though the kid still sounds all _kinds_ of piglet snuffly, the fever has broken so that at least is good.

From outside the sea breeze is blowing in fiercely, to the point that it nearly takes the drapes from the rails and so Roman rolls onto his feet to close the window and then grunts a little at the blanket of grey. Maybe it's best that the teen is sick after all, since no way would they be able to take a boat out in that, without it capsizing or all three of them vomiting and frankly there has already been enough hurl for one weekend.

He tiptoes from the room as far as a man of his bulk is able then showers and pulls some clothes on before heading downstairs, where he finds his father in the kitchen with some cereal because without Mama Reigns there hot food is not a thing.

His father looks up,

"Morning son, have you been in to check on Dean yet?"

"Yeah, little uce is out for the count still, but his fever seems better. Not like the weather huh?"

Rain is hammering the glass and then streaking a blurry trail down the floor to ceiling windows in a brutally cold and fresh-off-the-sea coastal blast. Roman can see the peaks of the ocean breaking and then battering hard on the shore, not to mention the terrace and their own little jetty which is being nearly swamped by furious looking waves.

Papa Reigns grunts,

"Not exactly the grand trip I had in mind for the poor boy."

"He had a nightmare last night," Roman supplies while opening up a fresh packet of cornflakes and lamenting the lack of anything remotely fried, "Must have been brought on by the fever I'm guessing, but it still ended up kind of rattling him."

"Do I want to know the contents?"

Roman winces mildly,

"His no good old man was beating him for getting sick."

"Damn him," Papa Reigns hisses back fiercely, hating the image as much as his son, "Honestly there are times when I wish you'd punched him harder back when we tracked the two of them down all those months ago. Because given the things that he put my poor boy though that monster deserves more than a simple bloodied nose."

Roman sighs,

"He got seven years pop."

Except both of them know it's not nearly enough, because at some point when Dean is in his awkward early twenties and probably trying to forge a grown up life for himself and likely when he has finally gotten over his brutal childhood, the asshole that caused it will be released to show back up.

But Roman will be waiting for him if and when that happens.

His father too it seems.

Buzzing fills the open space and it briefly cuts through the lashing of the rainstorm as the work phone his father carries lights up with a text which the businessman sighs at for a second before relenting and putting his reading specs on.

Roman lets loose a grin.

It has been a rough couple of months for his father between his old man eyesight and the strictly enforced diet. Both of which will hopefully make him live longer, not to mention more healthily but have _not_ improved his mood. Roman assumes it's then the reason for the grumble, right up until the moment it turns into a curse.

"Damn."

Roman frowns,

"Hey, is everything okay pop?"

His father waves a large and frustrated looking hand,

"Nearly a month back I had to fire an employee and suffice to say the news wasn't taken well. I mean the man has tried everything from pleading to blackmail and last week he even sent a letter to the house, like the damn fool honestly thought he could scare me," Papa Reigns bitterly harrumphs at the thought like the mere _notion_ offends him, "He was _supposed_ to stay in town so the damn police could talk to him but according to Titus the coward has fled."

Roman watches his father shovel in cereal,

"So he had to be fired?"

His father nods,

"No other choice, I mean those things we found on his computer were wicked."

But what those things were _precisely_ he chooses not to reveal since instead he merely goes back to his breakfast as he hoovers up cornflakes with big heated chomps and then grumbles under his breath to himself on occasion as the fury sits with him.

Roman switches things up,

"Dean needs to buy a souvenir to take back with him."

"For your mother?"

"For Renee," Roman waggles his brows and in response his father throws his head back and laughs broadly before slapping the table with the palm of his hand and both of which fortunately push back the anger that had captured his face entirely only moments before. Because if there is one thing he knows will make his old man happy then it will be their kooky teen every single time.

Papa Reigns winks,

"He takes after his father when it comes to the ladies."

Roman grins at that, because his old man means himself since nobody in their rights mind would see Papa Ambrose as a parent of any kind and besides which Dean really _is_ their legal child now.

Right back at the beginning when Dean had first crept up on them and begun to orbit the safe and comfortable Reigns world, it was the patriarch who been the most reluctant to accept him as more than a charitable but passing concern who they would put on his feet and then wash their hands of.

But that was before the kid had snuck into his heart.

Fully and completely.

Papa Reigns loves him fiercely.

For Dean it had been a slightly longer road there because traditionally father figures had been none too kind on him, but the blossoming of their relationship had been a beautiful thing to witness and maybe one of the best things to come out of all the stress in that they each of them had opened the other one up a little.

Roman rolls his eyes and then snorts fondly,

"Not his older brother?"

"Definitely not."

"Hey watch it old man I'm not so bad with the romance."

"Is that why you won't bring this new girl of yours round? Because your mother is more than a little keen to meet her," Papa Reigns smirks then flaps his broadsheet out, before licking his finger like he plans to turn the pages but while continuing to fix his eldest son a smug faced look.

Roman shrugs casually but maybe _too_ casually,

"I'm taking things slowly."

Really slowly.

But they both know why, because the last time Roman had fallen head over heels with a woman he had then found her tucked up in bed with his best friend, the betrayal of which had broken his heart completely and was the reason that he had come home from college to run the gym. No way therefore is he planning on rushing _anything_ when it comes the woman he has been seeing for three months and besides which the next step is probably a Reigns family meal time, which tends to be too much to handle for normal folk.

Him too sometimes, although Dean handles them well now.

Papa Reigns snorts back then leans over to pat his shoulder because presumably he knows what his son is thinking about and because he also understands the lingering sense of heartache.

"Now now I'm only teasing so you take all the time you like."

"I know thanks pop."

"But you should probably know son that your mother wants more grandchildren."

Roman blows out a wry snort and then tries to bite back the tiny frisson of laughter but which gets stifled anyway by two things happening at once, in the form of the cell phone on the table starting to ring at them and the doorbell in the hallway chiming briskly.

 _Ding-dong_.

Papa Reigns rolls his eyes,

"Probably Margaret from number twenty seven with her usual casserole welcome for us."

Roman grins, because pretty much like clockwork whenever they turn up at the beach house for a spell, the sweet little widower from three houses over always seems to know and shows up with home baked goods that she hands to his father while flirting like crazy and batting false lashes smeared with wobbly black ink and bright purple eyeshadow that went out of style in the seventies.

"I'm guessing you want me to handle her then pop?"

His father waves the cell phone,

"I mean, if you would son."

 _Coward_.

Easing himself on weary limbs from the bar stool Roman plods back through into the open entrance hall, where the heavy coastal rain is battering hard at the skylight and where a probably wet figure is stood beyond the frosted glass. Behind him in the background he can hear his father talking and knows instantly it's a business call based on his tones, but paints he on a smile and opens the door regardless expecting stroganoff or lasagne or maybe even beef bourguignon.

Instead he finds a man.

Foodless.

"Uh hey brother can I help you?"

In response the newcomer blows out a snort which is so far from being a kind sounding sort of comeback that the gym owner feels his brows knit with mistrust. In terms of his look the man is probably in his forties but has the hair of a teenager since it's scruffy and too long and looks bizarre over the weather beaten features beneath it which include two unblinking eyes set far too far apart.

He is stubbly too but not like he intends to be, since instead it looks like he's forgotten how to shave and the problem with which is that it highlights his tight lip line, which is colorless and pursed and not to mention weirdly thin.

He coughs,

"I'm — I'm here to see your father."

"Is he expecting you man? Because right now he's on a call."

Roman is countered by a harsh sounding chuckle which kind of super weirdly _slithers_ in over his skin and sets the hackles on the back of his neck crazy because something about the guy is _all_ wrong. Not that the rain trickling over his face helps things, unless he _wants_ to look murderous that is.

"Oh he'll want to see me."

Reaching a hand into his water raincoat the newcomer pulls out something metallic and hard, which turns the stomach of the man stood before him and changes everything at once.

He pulls out a gun.

* * *

 **Told you we would start to get to the crazy! Next chapter, we meet our gunman and Papa Reigns and Roman try to keep Dean safe.**


	8. Eight

**Time to find out exactly what the gunman's deal is…beside being totally batshit crazy that is!**

 **Skovko, Dean cannot have nice getaways without drama. I hereby decree it. Besides, what better excuse for bonding than a shared hostage situation? There is method in my madness. Sometimes…**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yep, my boys are never safe. But what's a good story without a little drama to add some extra spice? Hopefully you'll get some more answers on what's happening in this chapter.**

 **Sodapop25, Awww, thank you so much.**

 **Rebel8954, Haha, good old Cape Fear (or, let's be honest here, the superior Simpsons tribute episode!) If it's any consolation, Dean is going to sleep through** _ **some**_ **of it…does…does that help?!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Yep, rest assured we are getting to the meat and potatoes of this story at last!**

 **Mandy, Answers coming up in this chapter, so don't worry, although the fun is really just getting underway…although maybe not for everyone. Lots more of Papa Reigns bonding with both his boys coming up, because any excuse, right?!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Oh yeah, I'm throwing our gunman right into the mix. No point in hanging around right? Besides, there's a storm out there for heaven sakes, can't leave our poor crazy bad guy hanging around getting a soggy. What kind of writer would I be if I did that?!**

 **HannonsPen, Yeah, poor Dean is going to clue into what's happening soon enough and then you might want to squish him to your chest to keep him safe. But in the meantime its down to Papa Reigns and Roman to figure out what is happening.**

 **Guest, Oooh, nice guesses on the identity of the gunman. Hopefully everything will be revealed in this chapter with regards to who he is and what exactly he wants. Hope you like it!**

 **Minnie1015, Should I be worried that you expect a big drama in all my stories? Is that a mark of my character (and should I be worried at feeling proud that it is?!) Haha, you're totally a girl after my own heart. Character angst? Whoopee! Yep, lots of that is still to come.**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Aww, I'm glad you've enjoyed all the Little Brother stories so far. I won't lie, I love writing them as well! Hopefully this one will give you lots more of those brother moments and some drama of course...can't have too much of that!**

 **Answers coming...**

* * *

 **Eight**

In the seconds that follow the gun being pulled on him Roman stands blinking in a whirlwind of shock. Because what in the name of hell is even happening and _why_ is it happening and who _is_ the man?

Flecks of rain billow in across the threshold and blow in his face and then make him wince, which is likely why he misses the newcomer stepping closer to the point that he is physically stood beside him in the hall with his blank expression never once changing and still with the not blinking thing.

He waggles the gun,

"Move."

Roman holds his hands up.

His heart is goddamn pounding and he hates that whatever the guy wants with his father he is leading him right to where his unsuspecting old man is. But he has no other option beyond trying to play the hero and he figures that being risky will probably get him shot, which will then only make things far worse for his father not to mention the teenager sleeping peacefully upstairs.

Dean.

He hopes to god his little brother keeps silent. The last thing they need is him stumbling in.

Beyond him in the kitchen his father is still conversing in his usual short tempered and businessman like tones but the sound of which light up a tiny spark of understanding, because hadn't he been talking about the man he had fired and who had sent letters to the house and tried to blackmail back his job?

Papa Reigns may be a man of harsh principles but he hardly has enemies lining up with freaking _guns_ and so therefore Roman figures that it _must_ be the fired employee or a have-a-go burglar?

He feels so helpless he can hardly breathe. His poor damn father is absolutely _clueless_ as he continues to snap in low tones across the phone.

"Now you listen to me Titus, you find out where that man's gone to and you take him to the police where he can answer for those pictures and those hideous _things_ we found on his machine. Damn it man how far can he have gone in the space of two days? He sent letters to the house and my _son_ found one. Do you think it would have been harmless if he had opened it and seen those threats to me? No. Which is why we _need_ to damn well find him."

Roman winces,

"Uh pop? I think we already have."

Papa Reigns looks up with a baffled looking half frown as his son edges tentatively into the kitchen with the barrel of a gun pointed flush to his head. It takes him a second to fully work out what is happening, but Roman can see the moment the visitor falls into view because his father nearly _shivers_ with a look of pure fury which ripples through his eyes.

Damn.

"Titus I'll call you back."

He snaps the cell shut as the newcomer snorts bitterly,

"Forgive me for busting in like this _boss,_ but we need to have ourselves a little conversation."

Papa Reigns curls his big meaty fists up in response to him and Roman has never seen his father look so heated. Well, maybe beyond the night a mere three months back when Dean had been kidnapped and ransomed by his birth mom. Now here it is again. Someone threatening one of his offspring and so he bites his reply out,

"I'll talk when you let go of my son."

"No one is leaving this place until I say they can."

Roman hears the voice crack momentarily behind him as their kooky invader starts to unwind like a thread and he winces as the barrel presses closer to his neckline, because even though he likes to think of himself as a tough guy, being literally held at gunpoint is a terrifying thing and one that has the potential to turn bad pretty rapidly with no going back.

His father holds up his hands,

"Easy now Michael."

 _Michael._

Roman blinks at that part because now at least he has a name and which further makes it clear the man waving the handgun _is_ the same one that was fired from the firm. Not that it makes their situation any better. In many ways it probably makes it all the more _worse_.

Michael clears his throat like a nervous public speaker about to give a speech to a packed conference hall then gestures with the gun through the arch into the living room where the sofas are clustered.

"Both of you in there. _Go_."

Papa Reigns puts a hand out as Roman is shoved forwards then places himself bodily between him and the gun as the two of them traipse with hearts pounding from the kitchen and over to the fireplace beyond in the lounge, where they stand for a second.

"Roman? Are you okay son?"

"I'm fine pop."

Michael barks at the both of them loudly,

"Hey shut up and take a damn chair, because when I _said_ nobody was leaving I _meant_ it."

Roman and his father both fold into the cushions as their captor mutters and then scratches at his head, like maybe he had never planned on making it this far and is clueless as to what part of his brilliant master plan comes next.

He starts out clumsily.

"I – I need you to reinstate me."

"Not a chance in hell given those _images_ we found," Papa Reigns positively spits the response back at him with every last ounce of conviction he can, in spite of the weapon that is hovering out in front of them, because shying from a challenge is not a trait the Reigns' men have. Even though the vehemence may well get him shot at.

Michael responds by trying to tear his own hair out,

"I keep on _telling_ you, I opened an email - ,"

"Nonsense."

"I - I was set up, I _swear_."

"For heaven sakes Michael," Papa Reigns hisses back at him, "There were images of _boys_ on your laptop for heaven sakes, which no one _besides_ yourself could have put there and you expect me to believe that you opened a virus which placed those hideous pictures in a damn _marked folder_ for you to see?"

Roman blinks a fluttered _holy crap_ loose.

But now he gets it completely and utterly and he gets why his father had to fire the man as well. Because stood in front of them is a probable predator of the kind that makes a shudder crawl over his skin and then fills his blood with the same sort of hot fury which is similarly coursing through his angry old man. Not least for the horror it could have brought to the company had it made it to the press.

Michael waves the gun at them like he's thinking of using it,

"I messed up okay?"

"Messed up?" Papa Reigns barks back, but in a tone that momentarily even serves to make his _son_ flinch because he is positively furious and throwing caution to the wind, "Damn it Michael some of those boys were only goddamn _children_ and you think _messed up_ covers it?"

Roman winces at him,

"Uh, pop?"

In front of them their captor is getting more and more twitchy which the businessman in his tirade of hot fury can't quite see, but which Roman sure can and he can also feel the tension which is ramping up somewhere pretty much at boiling point. Michael is tapping his long finger across the gun barrel and the movement seems like foreshadowing or the breaking of his brain.

Papa Reigns continues,

"I mean what kind of monster are you that you would stoop so low as to look at those things? But then not even staying to face up to your wrongdoings?"

Roman sees the gun tremble violently.

"Pop _enough_."

It's conceivably the first time in the whole of his existence that he has physically bellowed at the man that gave him life and will probably be the last time considering the look he gets. But on the plus side it's better than watching his father being murdered and so he looks over at his old man then slides his eyes towards the gun, which is still badly twitching but seems to be less fractious.

His father clues in less rapidly but then gets it.

He came too close.

For a second there is a quiet but palpable silence as the Reigns men wait for their captor to lead the way or to say something or give them _some_ sort of a signal as to where their hostage nightmare is headed.

If _anywhere_.

Roman hates it though because the not knowing is brutal, like sitting beneath a blade that is ready to fall but having no clue as to when it might happen. Michael himself seems similarly confused which is by no means helpful in the scheme of their situation, but in the end he licks his lips,

"I - I need my old place back. I – I _need_ to work."

Papa Reigns goes to respond to him but is then suddenly stopped before he gets to his answer by a low noise that breaks out from somewhere upstairs and clearly nearly scares the crap out of their gunman who launches about three feet into the air. But it horrifies Roman for reasons beyond that and the same goes for the ashen faced Papa Reigns as well because the noise they can hear is pretty unmistakable.

It's a bubbly and hacked out sounding cough.

Oh no.

 _Dean_.

"Hey what the hell was that?"

Michael hefts the gun up higher like he thinks there's a SWAT team hidden in the roof which is about to burst in on them with tear gas and bullets and which makes his trigger finger begin to tremble and shake. In response to it Papa Reigns puts his hands up calmly,

"Easy now boy, it was only my son."

"Did you say son?"

Michael looks towards Roman who he had clearly believed was the only Reigns boy and the momentary bewilderment is briefly sort of pitiable, because the man is not a hardened career type criminal at all. Roman vaguely thinks back to the brutal Papa Ambrose and the menacing Jerry of three months before, both of whom had been smug and hugely swaggering which are both things that Michael is definitely not.

But he is every bit as bad though,

Papa Reigns continues evenly,

"My youngest son Dean is upstairs with a fever, sound asleep which means he won't get in your way."

He is trying his best to keep the poor kid out of things because the last thing they want is the invalid teenager thrown coughing and sneezing and feeling crappy into the mix and for a minute it looks like Michael might agree with that before he halts himself suddenly then lets out a bark.

"Nobody gets to be hidden away from me."

"Damn it, he is _sick_."

Michael laughs in response then moves the gun so that it points at his employer before smiling so bizarrely that his teeth turn into bulbs which positively glow beneath the wide unblinking eyeballs as he makes his point clear.

"Bring me the freaking boy."

* * *

 **So, next chapter our favorite scruffy teenager is back and thrown right into the mix like always. Lets just say the poor boy is in for a bit of a shock. Might post early too because, well, it** _ **is**_ **Christmas! So keep those eyes peeled!**


	9. Nine

**Okay, so here is a Christmas Eve gift for you everybody, the next chapter two whole days early! But before we get into that, I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone reading and especially to my faithful and lovely reviewers. My regulars will know that this has been a very tough year for me and recently I have really been struggling to write because I'm becoming too critical of myself (hence the new Dean and Lauren story taking so long). But it is no exaggeration to say that the lovely reviews and the distraction of writing has been super important to me in 2018 and I have plenty ideas to come for 2019. So thanks again folks *hugs everyone within arms range***

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Michael is messed up, crazy and desperate, which is always a fun combination as you will see. I mean, mostly the man just really, really wants his job back, but he kind of also gets distracted from time to time too. Plus he's insane...I feel like that might be important!**

 **Skovko, Haha, well, Dean puking is a theme in this story, but I'm sure I would have found that way** _ **way**_ **too gross to write. Vomit *shudders* I literally hate it. But don't worry, Dean will use the threat of his illness. Not that it goes too well for him!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you!**

 **Rebel8954, Papa Reigns definitely wants to blow a gasket, but luckily his need to be sensible and in control and protect his sons comes first. I feel like this story might be Papa Reigns' finest hour. Besides which, it was time he had his own story moment. It was only fair since Mama Reigns has already had hers!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Yep, the worst situation ever...you're welcome! *Winks* But what better way than to have father/son bonding time than by throwing them all together headfirst into danger? Because I mean, fishing is all well and good, but I do love me some drama!**

 **Guest, You were right! *Pins a rosette on you* You win the prize! Yep, I'm pretty sure that even if Michael wasn't holding a gun on them, he would still be Papa Reigns' least favourite person in the world, but now he is his least favourite by a long way and it's only going to get worse when he sees Dean!**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, I know, I am totally mean to him! Luckily though, as long as Dean has the Reigns' to look out for him, I'm ninety nine percent sure he'll be fine (because otherwise how could I carry on with these stories?! Yeah, he's definitely going to be fine!)**

 **Minnie1015, Papa Reigns is a proud man. Also, like you said, he's a man, so trying to bluff his way out of things doesn't exactly come naturally to him! Glad you like it though. I know you love your angst and drama (like me) so what better gift than that of a totally crazed gunman, right?!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, okay, okay, here is your update and yep, it's poor old Dean's turn to come face to face with that gun! But, I mean, it had to happen at some point right? I know you like it really (Dean though, not so much…)**

 **Merry Christmas...**

* * *

 **Nine**

Dean is twisted right up in the bedclothes and is out for the count when the three of them trample heavily into the room, in a weird procession which Michael insists on to make sure that his new hostages keep to the rules.

Roman hates bitterly what the kid is going to wake up to, or even the fact he has to wake up at all when the teenager _should_ be sleeping off his fever soundly, contented and most importantly safe from any harm. Dean looks even more tousle headed than usual which is probably a result of the nightmare tosses and turns but it makes his blondish looking locks stand out plainly and Michael blinks at them,

"But he looks nothing like _either_ of you."

"Be that as it may he is my son," Papa Reigns responds to him, clearly hating that the eyes of the man are on the boy and how totally clueless not to mention _helpless_ Dean is, "He was taken in by us from a bad situation but in legal terms and in every other way that counts he is my child."

Michael uses the gun to gesture over to the bedclothes, clearly not wanting to waste more time,,

"Get him up."

He points the barrel back at his former boss again and in return Roman raises his hands up in surrender then crosses the room with a heavy feeling heart before taking a seat on the edge of the mattress and loosely sweeping his hand through the clammy blonde curls.

"Hey uce? I'm gonna need you to get up now little brother."

"Nuh don' wan, wha – Roman?"

"Uh huh, it's me."

Blue eyes blink up in layers of confusion but thankfully not as fever-fogged as they had been before. Besides which Dean is luckily facing out towards the windows which means that he is unaware of the hovering gun not to mention the man holding it too close to their father.

Dean looks at his brother then blows out a sleepy mumble,

"Dude what time is it?"

"Early."

Dean grumbles back at that which then promptly turns into a bubbly sounding coughing burst which makes Roman curl his fists up into the bedclothes because it seems _unfair_ to have to haul him up and even worse that at this point his life is nothing more than just one long cycle of capture and release.

But instead he paints a smile on, then again palms the messy hair back to feel the forehead which is happily miles cooler than it had been the night before and so if nothing else _that_ part at least feels positive because by rights _something_ has to.

"Nuh uce, wanna sleep."

"No wait – ,"

In response to the summons from his brother the teenager tries to roll himself away on the bed as Roman barks in a measure of panic and goes to stop the movement. But the bigger moves too late. Dean blinks over the covers at the gunman and Roman can feel his body grow tense.

 _Damn uce I'm so sorry_.

"Roman?"

"Easy little brother, I need you to stay nice and calm for me here."

Beyond them Michael tips his head slowly sideways then raises his shoulder like he is trying to graze his ear but never once blinks as he circles his skull round, then lets loose a toothy and fully wolfish looking grin. He beams it in towards the teenager pointedly which makes even Roman shudder so likely scares the living _hell_ out of poor Dean.

"Listen to your brother little man."

Dean blinks at him,

"But who _are_ you, an' what are you doin' with my pop?"

"Easy," Roman repeats because the gun is still hovering and the last thing he wants is it being pointed towards the teen. But at the same time he feels a flash of pride ripple through him, because his kid is ballsy and the older man likes that.

Michael too it seems.

"Me and your _pop_ here need to have ourselves a conversation about loyalty in business and hardworking employees. But I heard that you were up here and was worried you might miss it, so I brought everyone to help get you up for the main event."

Dean hacks out a cough and then wheezes,

"How 'bout you suck it?"

Probably not the best suggestion given recent events and more specifically given what Michael had been fired for which is why Roman reaches out and pulls the gutsy teenager back, like the extra few inches of space in between them will help him to better protect the kid somehow. Fortunately however their father then tries to peace keep in exceptionally cool tones for a man with a weapon to his head.

Roman has never been more impressed by his parent.

"Dean son, none of that now."

"But pop – ,"

"Listen to what he says and the three of us will be fine, I promise you that okay?"

He finishes by shooting them both a look of reassurance and even though the teen is transfixed by the firearm he manages to reply with a wobbly nod. _Less_ happily however it then turns into a coughing fit which bursts up out of nowhere and rattles the bed as Dean hacks and splutters and struggles to even breathe straight while his older brother shushes him and massages his back,

"Easy uce, _hey_ , I'm gonna need some nice long breaths now."

"Roman - can't breathe – ,"

"Nice and slow, take it nice and slow."

It takes a while for the cough volley to pass by them and bizarrely for a second of it Roman forgets the hostage thing. Dean hauling in oxygen suddenly seems more important and _god_ the kid needs it since the barrage wears him out and once more sends his temperature soaring.

Dean lets out a groan and then falls limply backwards knowing in a second his brother will catch him and being rewarded by the familiar broad chest and the hands which hold him in place and keep him upright because otherwise he would fold over.

He swipes cough tears away,

" _Ugh_."

"I know uce, I know,"

Roman palms the messy hair back because the coughing fit has turned it into a pretty tousled looking mess which the kid would probably balk at in a mirror. Being the image conscious and typical teenage boy that he is.

Michael growls from somewhere beside them, clearly not liking the lag in his plans or the fact that a bout of possible god damn tuberculosis is tying them up in the bedroom for so long. It is probably therefore why he then suddenly barks at them like at sergeant at arms.

"Get the kid up, because I want us back on those sofas in two minutes so we can have ourselves that chat I mentioned earlier, remember boss?"

Papa Reigns bristles,

"Leave my children out of this and we can talk all you want."

"Nope," Michael pops the word out then turns the gun in swiftly towards the mattress where the teenager and the bigger man happen to be sat. In one hand he has hold of Papa Reigns' collar while the other points the firearm out beyond his neck so that patriarch can see it trained on his offspring and means that he is probably then blasted by the yell.

Michael is on the edge.

" _Get him up_."

Dean shrinks backwards then hiccups a sound out which would probably be a whimper except that he is trying super hard to be brave and besides which his lungs are still clogged up with cold spores and so instead it turns into a huffed out little wheeze.

Roman hears it and pats him reassuringly, fighting hard to keep his own tones sounding even and calm. Honestly he wants to bellow and lash out at things but that won't help his father or the teenager _or_ himself and so instead he puts his soothing older brother hat on,

"Hey uce, think maybe you can get up for me?"

"Uh huh."

Because Dean had gone to bed without meaning to and then been out for the count when the fever had hit, Roman and Papa Reigns had been forced to peel his clothes off rather than letting the teen roast beneath the sheets.

But it means that the kid is only wearing his boxer shorts when he rolls from the mattress back up onto his feet and in response to it Michael seems to tip his head a little and then briefly lose his focus like he has seen something he likes.

 _Damn_.

Papa Reigns sees it too, or else maybe he senses it given that the gunman is hovering behind his head, because he bravely steps forward then turns himself bodily so he is looking his one time employee in the face. He is in full papa bear mode regardless of the weapon and using his considerable girth to block his son, which the teenager thankfully remains blissfully unaware of as he climbs clumsily into the sweat pants his bigger brother is holding out. It is followed in the same slow progress by a t-shirt as Roman tries his best not to rush the infected kid, but the entire time he is looking across the room at their father standing tall and protective but possibly only moments from being shot.

Dean sneezes.

" _Hatchoo_."

Honestly the teen looks worse than ever with his hair in messy clumps and his poor cheeks flushed bright pink. Not to mention the fact that he sort of _crackles_ on each inhale which is either his chest or his hugely bunged up nose. In short the kid should _not_ be pulling extra layers on, or be _anywhere_ else besides his sick bed. But he does it because he needs to then stands blinking wearily.

Roman sweeps his hair back proudly,

"Nice work."

Michael however seems less impressed by the redressing which is likely because the kid is newly covered up and so therefore hidden from the gaze of the predator.

He blows a loud snort out,

"Finally kid, because for a minute there I thought I might have to start shooting to prove to your pop how serious I am," Michael steps back then gestures towards the hallway clearly meaning for his hostages to lead the way out. Papa Reigns grumbles but then moves to the orders before reluctantly being followed by Roman and Dean, with the bigger man pushing the teenager in front of him.

Dean hisses back,

"Is – is he going to kill pop?"

"Nah uce," Roman lies planting a hand on his shoulder in even parts reassurance and in helping to keep the poor kid, up since he is walking a little like a drunk when the bars are closing. Not that Dean has ever _wanted_ a drink thanks to the connection it has to his old man and so no wonder he is so scared for his loving _new_ one, "I figure he only wants pop to listen to him and let him have his say."

"But, have his say on what?"

Roman pauses but then luckily or otherwise, Michael gives him a shove from behind with what is either the tip of a really bony finger or the barrel of the gun.

"Be quiet and move."

* * *

 **Next chapter the fun continues and I'll be posting that on Friday this week, so watch out for that! In the meantime though MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Wishing you all a very happy holiday.**


	10. Ten

**Okay, back to it everybody! Normal Wednesday service will resume next week folks. I hope those who celebrated had a lovely Christmas and are strapped in and prepared for 2019, whatever it brings! Fingers crossed it's a good one, eh?!**

 **Skovko, Nope, pretty sure Dean is sort of existing in a bit of a flu haze right now, which might be best! Plus he doesn't know what Michael's deal is quite yet. Also probably best! But he gets a tiny bit more of an insight here, or at least to how deranged Michael is. Fun times, huh?!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Glad you like our sick but mouthy little teenager! He's going to get a bit mouthy in this one too. Except, he's going to need to be careful about that before it gets him into trouble *throws hints out like candy*.**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Roman is always trying to keep Dean out of harm's way in this series (and anything I ever write for the most part) but trouble does love our quirky teenager! But then again, who doesn't love some good protective Roman?!**

 **Littlewave500, Merry Christmas back (it's not too late to say it again right?!) Papa Reigns and Roman have their work cut out for them in this one looking after Dean. But yep, protective fathers/brothers all the way! Plenty more of that to come too!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you!**

 **Rebel8954, Yep, consider Dean's latest peril as my Christmas gift to you and also myself because I love writing it! Still, at least he's got Papa Reigns and Roman in the mix with him this time too. Misery does love company after all!**

 **Minnie1015, Having whooping cough this summer definitely influenced my descriptions of Dean coughing. I started writing this story the week after I got better so it was pretty fresh in my mind (and my aching ribs!) I needed someone (Dean) to feel my pain too (sorry Dean...not sorry!)**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Haha, well, let me know when your list of Michael killing options is all written up and yep, you're right about there being more to come! *Laughs maniacally* Michael is certainly a very messed up guy!**

 **Guest, Maybe your powers of perception are better than you think they are?! But yep, the poor old Reigns boys are really not having the fishing trip they hoped for, although at least Dean will always remember his very first vacation (probably not a good thing though!)**

 **Mandy, Hey lovely, hope you had a good Christmas and enjoyed time with family and/or friends and made a little time for you. Here's the next chapter as requested and things are going to get tense!**

 **Happy New Year...**

* * *

 **Ten**

Between them they make their way back to the sofas, with Michael following behind with the gun and then sit close together with the teenager in the middle and with Roman looping him protectively with an arm.

Michael reclaims the floorspace in front of them then instantly begins to pace on the rug, in a constant but stressed looking trample before the fireplace which he breaks up by muttering and by rubbing at his head. It lifts the gun barrel up from them briefly, but then he remembers and points the thing back, as he works out what he wants to say to his employer and his general spiel for resuming his former job.

In the meantime Dean snuffles and coughs.

"Easy now son," Papa Reigns taps at his kneecap and Roman tousles his hair from behind in a kneading sort of massage that the teenager leans into, because the pressure in his head is pretty near to breaking point and he feels like his skull might explode, if that's possible.

He grumbles,

"Hey uce? Can I have some more _butt_ gunk?"

In spite of the gunman their bewildered father blinks,

"More _what_?"

"He means the medicine," Roman clears up for him, before wincing a little, "Damn, I'm sorry bro, but I forgot to bring it with us. Guess it must still be on the nightstand."

Dean slumps back,

"Oh."

"Feeling bad again?"

He nods but then wishes he hadn't because the movement makes it feel like even his _brain_ is sore and bouncing off the bones of his cranium like a basketball, which is super bizarre and kind of spacey feeling too. It throws him off balance even though he is sitting and he bangs into Roman who props him back up and then feels his forehead. Dean loves when that happens. Possibly because he has gradually grown used to it since people have _not_ stopped touching him since the moment he got sick. But mostly because the touching means worry and familial love of the kind he now cannot be without.

Michael snorts.

 _Oops_.

Dean had forgotten all about him, which seems hard in essence because the man has a _gun._ But then Dean figures that _he_ has a fever or a deadly plague or something knowing his luck and so can hardly be expected to remember what's happening in the _non_ -fever world.

Right?

"Nice family picture we have here."

"Dean needs medicine," Papa Reigns responds flatly, clearly battling to keep his angry tones in check, "He has a bottle on the nightstand in his bedroom which will help stop the fever from creeping back up and so I think it would be best if you let one of us fetch it before he gets worse."

Michael shakes his head,

"No go."

Dean blows a breath out then slumps against his brother.

Beyond them on the terrace the rain is blowing hard and in between the railings he can see the ocean broiling like a rolling sheet of dark blues and greys. It strikes him how smooth but _angry_ the waves look as they bash into the breakers and throw up streams of spray and honestly the whole thing is so totally mesmeric that it takes a beat to notice the pair of eyes watching him.

Michael is staring with a smirk that makes his stomach turn.

"Reckon you fell on your feet here little man."

Dean blinks back,

"Huh?"

He can feel Roman instantly glowering and tensing and even Papa Reigns on his other side too. Probably because the captor is looking right at him but at the same time it feels like there is something _more_ than that, like Dean is totally missing the bigger picture or like something about the guy is especially bad.

Beyond the continually waving handgun obviously. Meanwhile beyond them Michael warms to his point,

"Being taken in by the big bad boss man over here and having a _beach house_ and people making out like they love you. But _trust me_ here kid, these people only love themselves and the second you stop towing the line or mess up for them, they'll lose you faster than you can even _blink_."

Dean reacts as if someone has kicked him.

Breath billows out of him. Because no way is that true, since the one thing in life that he knows with total certainty is how much the Reigns' love him. But it stills hurts him though, because he is the one weak link in their bloodline and the family member that they could probably live without, while he _needs_ them like oxygen or water.

Roman resumes his brotherly kneading and Dean blinks.

Huh?

Have his fingers been there the whole time?

He leans himself into them and they help stop the worry because _of course_ they love him. He is one of them now and they have saved his sorry life over and over _and_ then given him their name, which means the gunman is wrong. Dean feels himself beginning to get heated, which is possibly the fever but far more likely the slur and which then turns into a croaky sounding mumble, shot through with teen surliness,

" _Don't_ call me kid."

Not that he hates having nicknames exactly, because the guys at the gym call him _kid_ and _little man_. Roman too sometimes. But he hates hearing it from _this_ guy since the man stood before him is trashing his brother and pop and so therefore he and his cutesy sounding names can go to hell.

Michael chuckles.

Does the guy not ever blink?

"Hell, you sure look like a kid to me _kid_."

"M' sixteen," Dean fires back hoping the news will end things, or like being over fifteen makes him technically a man, but instead the gunman sort of curls his skinny lips up and gets a look in his eye like he is hungry somehow, or like his mind has briefly wandered onto other topics.

"Hmm, is that right?"

"Michael," Papa Reigns growls in low warning tones as he moves on the cushions and which makes Dean blink a little because the register is new and one that he guesses their pop uses at the office because he certainly never needs to use it at home. Dean imagines how it must sound in the boardroom to investors or lawyers and people like that and then no longer wonders why it is exactly the Reigns' Corp is so powerful and rich.

Michael however is decidedly less impressed by it as he swings the gun towards him.

"Hey old man, you shut up."

"Leave my pop alone you son of a bitch asshole."

For a second there is silence as the teen bellows back at him, probably because none of them had expected it at all. Dean himself included if he is honest, since it had bubbled up from sort of pretty much nowhere, bunged up sounding but defensively passionate.

Roman tries to pull him in a little closer,

"Hey uce, _whoa_."

Michael however merely sneers back derisively, which hardly helps the teenage hormones at all _and_ the fact that Dean feels hot and _infected_ and wants his cosy bed and most of all Mama Reigns. But not there _with_ them at the beach house or anything, because no way would Dean want his loving mother trapped there too. Even though she kicks butt sometimes when she has to.

"Not sure you get to tell me what happens right now _kid_."

"I'll cough on you," Dean mumbles in a petulant note which the gunman either hears and hates because he's a germ freak, or else misses but knows that _something_ stubborn has been said, since he turns the handgun towards the teen suddenly while at the same time powering up a backhanded slap.

 _No not again_.

Dean shuts his eyes and flinches and it is probably kind of _sad_ how readily it comes and how well honed the reaction has become throughout his childhood and through living with his birth father and the kicks and the slaps.

But luckily this time the hit never comes, because instead he feels Roman sweep his big arms in around him before pulling him down into the safety of his chest, with one hand up and out to hold back the beating as Papa Reigns barks heatedly,

"Michael, you leave my son alone."

Honestly the whole thing feels like some sort of powder keg, waiting for someone to light a freaking match and Dean screws his eyes up with his heart pounding fiercely because it feels like at any second their hostage taker will simply shoot and leave them all in a big gruesome blood pool.

But instead they hear the doorbell ring loudly,

 _Ding-dong_.

It is followed by some knocking for apparent good measure and the sound of a person calling in from the porch, which happily lowers the tension a little but then manages to land them with a brand new sort of a problem. Because out of the frying pan into the fire and all that.

"Hello boys are you in there?"

Papa Reigns groans loudly,

"Margaret."

"Margaret _who_ and why the hell is she out there?" Michael barks back with a panicky gesture of the gun and not enough care or due attention on the finger that is wrapped around the trigger and wobbling slightly,

"Easy Michael, Margaret is our neighbor, she is a harmless sweet old lady who brings food over here whenever we come and so to that end I would imagine that she has brought us a casserole," Papa Reigns keeps his tones deliberately even but it is also clear he likes having the upper hand back and so then pushes a little further as the gunman blink wildly, "So now I figure it might be best if I go and say hello to her before she gets suspicious and tries to come in round the back."

Michael shakes his head,

"No-nobody moves, I told you."

But he is breaking and the continuous knocking at the door hardly helps things, even though Dean has to give kudos to her persistence since Margaret is obviously not a woman who takes being ignored well. Even so each hammer is like a blow to their gunman since he flinches like he is being physically struck. He is obviously caught between wanting to get her out of there and yet _also_ wanting his hostages to stay put, but in the end lets out a growl and then waves the gun again like a gymnast holding one of those funny ribbon sticks but which he points at Papa Reigns,

"Okay fine, you get rid of her. But no funny business, you hear me?"

Papa Reigns nods but the promise is obviously none too convincing because as the patriarch stands with a grunt from the couch cushions, Michael launches in and snatches up Dean, hauling him bodily from the arms of his brother and pulling him towards him.

"Michael stop – ,"

"Let him go – ,"

Dean goes with a lurch but then shuts up instantly as his poor head _spins_ and makes the world turn thickly black, except for some stars that light up in his vision. But his hearing still works because the horrified barks are loud and as the teenager blinks his father pops back into focus alongside his brother who both seem aghast.

Michael hisses,

"Damn it old man, I said go and get rid of her and no trying anything if you want your boy safe."

Dean is pressed right up to the gunman with his spine to the stomach and the gun at his head, while the free arm is hung in over his shoulder keeping him pinned. His heart is beating like mad and his breathing is coming out all sort of bubbled and crackly.

Damn his stupid virus.

Papa Reigns nods and then obediently holds his hands up as he steps towards the hallway, but his eyes are set hard on Dean the whole time in silent reassurance as Michael shadows the patriarch and then flattens both himself and the teen to the wall, right on the threshold where the lounge meets the foyer and where the captor can still see Roman but hear each word at the door.

Dean hacks a cough out and Michael covers his mouth over in a clamp that makes Roman tense up on the couch and which instantly makes Dean start to wheeze and then panic because it makes it hard to breathe what with his nose being bunged up.

 _Hurry up pop_.

"Margaret," Papa Reigns greets the busybody falsely as a sheet of wind and rain billows into the hall, "How lovely to see you and looking beautiful as ever if you don't mind me being so bold. Is that lasagne? My word I keep on telling you not to spoil us grown boys so."

Dean hears a titter,

"No bother, I like it and especially if it gets me wonderful compliments like that. I mean g _oodness_ I'm nearly blushing like a schoolgirl. Is Roman here? Do you mind if I come in for a bit, because this storm we seem to be having is absolutely ghastly, _why_ I'm soaked through."

Dean feels Michael grow tense and the fingers that are pressing hard into his cheekbone tighten and then practically seal off his nose, which makes a noise come out of his clamped airways that sounds like a gulp but without any breath.

Papa Reigns hears it,

"I'm terribly sorry Margaret, but Roman is sick so I'm not letting people in."

"Oh what a shame, but surely for me you can – ,"

Papa Reigns cuts her off,

"Of course usually I would, but he really is feeling very very poorly and I would never forgive myself if you caught the thing too, but thank you for the lasagne I'm sure it will help him and watch the steps on your way back because they get slippery when they're wet,"

Papa Reigns then clearly slams the heavy door shut on her which they hear both from the click and her baffled sounding _oh_.

He steps back in seconds later holding tight to the lasagne and with his face more furious than Dean has ever seen before. Michael loosens his hand and the teenager splutters before being propelled with a shove at Papa Reigns, who catches him one handed then pulls him in closely while rubbing at his back,

"It's okay son, you're okay."

Behind them he hears Roman too blow a short breath out, because even though Dean is coughing he can thankfully breathe and that alone seems like a minor sort of victory in spite of the gunman sneering.

He has the hungry look again.

* * *

 **Next chapter things go from bad to worse in all sorts of ways...**


	11. Eleven

**Here we are then! Brand new year, same old teen Dean drama! Lots of snuggly feverish Dean in this one. Consider it your 2019 present. And a HUGE thank you for all of my lovely reviews.**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Haha, well, death might be a bit harsh for Michael...or maybe not? Going to keep you waiting a little longer to find out what happens to our gunman in the end!**

 **Mrs.m (won't let me put the full thing, I have no idea why), Nope, sorry, Papa Reigns wouldn't have dared with the gun to Dean's head. He had to play it cool or not cool bit as cool as he could. Lots like the drama is just going to have to rumble on a little longer (sorry not sorry!)**

 **Rebel8954, Keeping quiet has never really been Dean's style in any universe or incarnation. Plus he's feverish here and not thinking straight (well, that's his excuse anyway!) Yep, I think Papa Reigns may have just lost his admirer. Poor Margaret!**

 **Guest, Thank you!**

 **Littlewave500, Papa Reigns is in full daddy bear mode in this story. But I won't deny I kind of love that. He might be gruff and surly but his boys make him loving and protective. Papa Reigns for king!**

 **Mandy, Business** _ **definitely**_ **picks up in this chapter as you will see. Just don't chew all your fingernails off as you wait for the next one, because I'm turning up the drama another couple of notches! Eek!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Many thanks. Hope you like this one!**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Ooh, epic cop drama is sounds good. Thank you! I guess it is a bit like the criminal side of criminal minds or something. But with no crack squad of cops beating a path to their door. It's all down to the Reigns boys!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Well, I have good news and bad news. Because no, this chapter is not as bad as you're thinking it is, but something** _ **does**_ **happen that is a bit of a game changer, so maybe keep thinking up those medieval torture methods huh?!**

 **Skovko, I love your wild guesses because they make me wish they were what I had written. But nope, sorry, no secret message to poor old lasagne loving Margaret. Now she just thinks that Papa Reigns is super rude!**

 **Minnie1015, Yeah, just think how long Margaret has been peeping through her window hoping Papa Reigns would show up. She's pulled together a nice lasagne for him and BOOM. Door slammed in face! More ballsy Dean in this one for you too.**

 **Guest, Yep, Papa Reigns never would have risked it with Dean in such trouble. He had too much to lose. Dean's illness comes back full force in this one and Michael is not a happy camper to put it mildly!**

 **HannonsPen, I know, poor old Margaret. I do feel a little bit bad for her. But it was for her own good. Otherwise Michael might have shot her or dragged her in too and she wouldn't have wanted that. Although it** _ **would**_ **have brought her closer to pop Reigns!**

 **Lovethatbeb, Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope that continues! Fingers crossed you'll like this chapter too.**

 **The drama continues...**

* * *

 **Eleven**

Dean begins to feel bone crushingly sleepy about an hour after the whole _Margaret homemade lasagne_ thing and then starts to lean into Roman more heavily from that point because he cannot seem to sit beyond a crumpled looking slump.

His eyes feel hot and itchy and _leaden_ like the things are being pulled at by a ten – no _twenty_ \- tonne weight, but one of the ones with the size on the side of it and a handle at the top like they have in cartoons.

Beyond him there is talking but sort of sporadically since the fractious gunman only likes to speak in brief bursts, but even though Dean tries his best to tune into them the words kind of blend with the beating in his head and turn into one big mess of mumbled nonsense.

He hears bits though.

"I worked for you for _fifteen_ years…thrown away like I was nothing, no, no _less_ than nothing, like I was _trash_ …one mistake, I only made _one_ mistake."

Dean hums at that.

Because it must have been something big then.

It is possible that Michael mentions what the mistake is at some point, which is something that Dean has been thinking hard about. But either it is never truly brought up between them, or else he misses the moment that it _is_ , since at some stage he sort of passes out while sitting and then wakes with a start as he feels himself fall.

He only bashes up into his brother, which is better than face planting onto the floor, but it still makes him whimper which _then_ makes him cough again, because along with Michael forever waving the damn handgun, hacking up a lung is the new constant in his life.

Both Roman and Papa Reigns are there in a flash though, patting his back and encouraging him to breathe and even wiping the hot, itchy cough tears from his cheekbones which Papa Reigns does with the tip of his pocket square, because even in his _casual_ clothes he has to have a pocket square.

Dean grins at that but then coughs again.

Damn it, _no_.

"Here little brother, come on and get some rest now."

Roman props a couch cushion up by his legs and then taps it and _hell_ it looks inviting because even a bed of nails would be welcome at this point. But instead Dean stops short and then looks towards Michael in case getting some shut eye is not within his hostage rules, or in else case it makes him angry for some reason.

Michael blinks back but says nothing which is a good sign and so to that end Dean lets Roman pull his head down low, so that it nuzzles the pillow which is pretty much blissful. He feels Papa Reigns hitch his legs up higher to stop his back from getting twisted up and Dean blows a sigh loose then tucks them up beneath him so he is curled on his side in a ball on the couch, with his throbbing head resting up safe on his brother while Papa Reigns gently pats his knee with a palm.

Thick inky blackness washes over him in seconds and just like that he turns out like a light. In reality he has no idea how long he actually sleeps for, or how long it takes for the nightmares to creep in, but thanks to his fever they come back swinging and holy crap do they ever feel real.

In them he is back in the kitchen at his old house, like he has been nearly a million times before. His father is there too, sort of pacing in front of him and while Dean can't see him he _can_ see his boots. Dean cannot move like he is pinned in place somehow but he twists and whimpers and tries to break loose because he knows precisely what is going to happen and he knows it will kill him.

He calls for his brother.

"Roman _help_."

He feels hands on him and tries to twist away from them because the big calloused palms have always hurt him super bad. Except _this_ time they feel soft and warm and totally loving and come with a voice that he knows too well and which makes his heart sort of skip a beat briefly.

Roman is calling him so he replies.

"He's got me, _help_."

Roman comes back even clearer through the madness, like he is there but somehow hidden,

"Hey uce? Open your eyes, come on little brother, I'm not gonna let him hurt you. I promise. Big brother is here. I gotcha like always, so I'm gonna need you to wake up for me now uce, alright?"

Did he say wake up?

Dean blinks a bit at that, because the whole thing had seemed so impossibly real and he could feel the hands biting into his arms and holding him in place and he had _smelt_ the smokes and booze tang. Except that when he slowly lets his eyes flicker back open he finds only Roman hanging over his face and the hands belong to Roman and the booze smell is absent since all he can sense is the familiar aftershave.

Roman had been bought it a few weeks back by his girlfriend and has worn it ever since.

Dean had set them up, right?

Memories slowly flood back into his brainstem and chase out the fog and the lingering fear as he remembers Mom and Pop Reigns and the gym too and the penthouse and the fishing trip and then gets a brief flash of Renee in braids. The ones she had been wearing in her hair the last time he saw her.

Roman sweeps the scruff from his forehead.

"Feeling better uce?"

"M' hot."

"I'm not surprised son, I mean you're practically burning up."

Dean moves his head to find Papa Reigns sat beyond him with one hand still clamped like a heat pad to his knee and the stern face that had kind of frightened the teenager in the beginning is a patchwork of loving and paternal concern.

Dean blows a sigh out then sinks back into the cushion as Roman continues to tousle at his hair and for a second he feels like maybe life is perfect and that the nightmare was a blip.

But then a voice barks roughly out and startles him completely,

"Hey, what the hell _was_ that?"

"Dean has nightmares sometimes," Papa Reigns replies as the teenager in questions blinks out over the coffee table, then sees Michael and gun and remembers _everything_ in a rush. Including how their fishing trip has been completely ruined by a man with a grudge he is still clueless about even though it clearly involves him being fired.

"Nightmares about what exactly?"

"Nothing _you_ need to know about," Roman growls back,

Dean knows his older brother is trying to protect him, because no way does he want the past being brought up, not even on a good day far less when the teen is feverish and struggling to differentiate between the present and the past.

Papa Reigns clears his throat a little,

"Take it easy Roman."

Instantly the tension is back on the rise again, only instead of their father it is Roman in the firing line and the thought of his brother potentially taking a bullet and especially for him makes Dean fight back a gasp and then throw out his story in a panic stricken garble because he _needs_ to save Roman.

"My birth father beat me pretty bad."

Michael blinks back in surprise.

He _blinks_.

Who knew?

"Because you were a punk or spoke back to him and shit?"

"Mostly because he could I guess," Dean shrugs back loosely, but he lets his gaze fall to his hands for some reason since his birth father still tends to loom large in his thoughts and even though the man is safely locked up in prison, Dean knows that he will probably always be scared. He hates it though and his father and his older brother know it, which is likely why Roman then starts to massage his nape with the big warm fingers that keep the teen grounded.

Dean leans back into them and then lets his eyes shut.

His body feels hot and tingly and –

Nauseous?

Definitely nauseous which is regrettably new and as a ball of it swiftly begins to rise up his gullet he heaves a little and then covers his mouth, because the last thing he wants is to hurl on the couches or cushions or the _carpet_ since all of them have been chosen in a shade of creamy white.

Roman frowns at him and then stops with the tousling.

"Uce?"

Dean shakes his head in response to the question, because no way in hell can he open his mouth.

Mostly the teen is hoping that if he simply keeps his lips shut then the nausea will have no way of being able to bust out. Except that nobody has passed that message onto his body since as the vomit ball rises he retches again.

Over by the fireplace Michael is watching him like maybe he has never seen a kid get sick before, or like he has no clue why a person would be retching or what the follow on from that motion might be.

Dean sure knows though and as the nausea hits his tonsils he bolts from the sofa in a horrified pelt, ignoring both the gun and his father and brother shouting because in his panic he needs to find something he can hurl up _into_.

Because the big beach house is still kind of new to him, he cannot remember where the nearest toilet is but the kitchen is right next to them so he heads for the granite worktops and the glinting mixer tap he can see standing tall. Behind him he can hear the sound of pounding footsteps but they sort of get blended with the beating of his heart and the rush of blood and the screaming in his brainstem.

Not a moment too soon he hits the sink –

Then he hurls.

Nothing too revolting because it has been hours since his last meal and so mostly it is simply a sort of bile and water mix, but either way it scorches his throat and makes his eyes tear and turns him into a trembling hacking mess.

"Uce?"

Roman calls out from somewhere behind him and so Dean kind of presumes the pounding footsteps are his. But instead a rough hand grabs the scruff of his collar and then practically _wrenches_ him away from the sink, like he is a tourist that has stepped in behind a security cordon and is touching priceless artwork.

"Damn it kid, _nobody_ moves and you think you can get away from me?"

Dean splutters and then shakes his head pathetically,

"N-no."

Michael continues to haul him backwards however and then follows that up with a pretty hefty shove, that looks likely to send him headfirst into the counters but which is blocked by a body and thick biceps in his path as he instead knocks nose first into his brother coughing and gasping,

"Roman, m' sorry I never meant to – ,"

"Easy uce."

Michael blows up beyond them,

"I told you before that _nobody gets to move_ and I'm beginning to get _sick_ of these damn interruptions."

He lifts up the gun and points it at both of them and Dean feels his stomach flip over on itself because he knows he and Roman will be goners if he fires and even worse is the fact that it will totally be _his_ fault.

Mama Reigns will be heartbroken.

Renee too he hopes wistfully, although in the circumstances that kind of feels wrong.

Roman instinctively tightens his protective hold up and the teenager shuts his eyes and braces for the bang, but instead hears only a bellow of a warning that bounces off the counter tops as a third figure blunders in and knocks into their captor much like a human wrecking ball.

"Michael for god sakes _stop_ this – ,"

Papa Reigns.

He slams into the gunman knocking them both into the cooker but which takes the train of the barrel from his sons and then tries to scrabble the weapon loose frantically. But his former employee turns out to be strong, or at least pumped up enough with panic and fury that he cinches his hold tighter then rips his hand up, so that the gun is swinging above them like a baton.

Roman launches forward to try and help,

"Pop, look out."

But he is marginally too late as the butt moves in heavily and catches their father on the back of the skull, with a horrible _cracking_ noise that makes the patriarch falter and then crumple to the floor like his strings have been cut, where he lies unmoving in a heap on the floor tiles.

Dean bawls out in pure terror,

"No, _pop_."

He feels like he might be on the verge of a breakdown, because to _his_ mind his loving new father has been killed and the horror of that is too big for him to fathom, but he feels like his world has been blown clean apart, which is why the tears begin to streak across his features in hot prickly trails.

Michael too is in bits, but likely because of the associated prison time.

"Is – is he breathing? _Somebody check_."

Roman silently untangles himself from his brother and then steps towards their parent clearly trying not to freak. But his face looks more troubled than the teen has ever seen it, _including_ the time Dean had been kidnapped at knifepoint because somehow this scene seems so _much_ more horrific.

Roman lowers closer, then checks for a pulse.

He finds one.

"He – he's okay, he's breathing, the blow must have knocked him out for a time is all."

Papa Reigns groans from somewhere below him, like he is trying to help him further the point and Roman places a hand on his shoulder to try and convince him that he's going to be alright. Dean hiccups a sob back then tries to scamper over, but is halted by Michael once again grabbing him hard and hauling him back with the gun to his temple.

Roman looks up furious and makes a move towards them but he forces himself to stop before he goes too far and instead simply glares across the kitchen with hatred,

"Get your hands off my brother you son of a bitch."

Michael ignores him,

"Does this place have a basement because I need you to get your damn fool old man up. I – I need to be able to _think_ without these _problems,_ so get him up before I put a bullet in your _uce_."

* * *

 **Oooooh, things are getting real serious now huh? Am I mean or am I mean?**

 **See you next week all!**


	12. Twelve

**Hey there all. It's Wednesday! Which must mean that it's officially time to check up on Papa Reigns and see how he's coming along with that concussion (sorry pop!)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Michael is something huh? But then again I like my villains all panicky and desperate. Means you never really know what they're going to do next…**

 **Rebel8954, Ah yes, but he's an idiot schmuck with a gun. Vomit covered or otherwise! Besides, Dean is also a kid with a plan, so watch this space!**

 **Mandy, Agreed. The sun isn't coming out so much at the moment, but it's just come out here as I write this (it's kind of blinding me) and it makes it even better when it does, because you appreciate more. Wishing you lots of sunshine for this week! *Hugs***

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Yep, Dean has only been free of his old man for just under a year, so his default at certain times is always going to be hardwired terror. It's always going to be a part of who he is deep down, even though he is loved and safe now. The ghost of Daddy Ambrose looms large.**

 **Sodapop25, Thanks, glad you're enjoying it.**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you! Lots more drama to come before the end!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Well don't do too much research on those methods. I don't want to be part of the police investigation when they seize your computer!**

 **Skovko, Dean is going to be trying another way of escaping too, because he's plucky and not good at taking orders! But sorry, no baseball bats involved. There is a washer and dryer if that helps?!**

 **Guest, Yep, it's going to get a little bit worse. Or maybe better because at least they get some away time from Michael in this one. Poor old Papa Reigns though. I was pretty mean to him. After all he was just trying to protect his boys. *Slaps back of hand* bad me.**

 **Minnie1015, Yep, that last chapter was fun for everyone (not). People hurling and being concussed and poor old Roman trying to hold things together. Roman has to do even more of that in this one. He is now the man of the house (sort of).**

 **Not-that-kinda-gurl, Awww, thank you so much. Happy to be a new addiction, because I feel like I'm probably a fairly healthy one (apart from all the torment I put Dean through. I think that's** _ **my**_ **addiction!)**

 **Back to the boys...**

* * *

 **Twelve**

It turns out that the beach house has a garage but no basement as such, the news of which briefly makes Michael lose his shit. _Until_ he finds out there _is_ a lower level laundry space, which he evidently figures fits the brief pretty well.

He keeps Dean held up against him the whole time as pretty good motivation for the eldest Reigns son to tow the line, but it means that the teenager can only watch in silence, sniffing and coughing as his brother hefts their father up.

It is no mean feat.

Papa Reigns is not a light man and it takes Roman pretty much all that he has simply to brace the bigger man against him and keep him from folding down as they move out into the hall. Behind a hidden door that looks like a bookcase — which even in the midst of things Dean still thinks is hugely cool — there are steps that lead them towards the lower level where more doors branch away, but they head for the laundry room, which Mama Reigns has hung a cutesy looking little sign on.

 _Laundry today or naked tomorrow._

Dean misses her badly on seeing it. Real bad.

Beyond it are more steps but rickety little wooden ones that lead to where the washing machine and tumbler are kept and where the glamour of the beach house above it tapers to bare brick walls and tiny slit windows set high up where the ground is and where the rain continues to lash at the casements like the whole world is angry.

Michael points,

"Get in there and hurry up about it."

He is talking to Roman who shoots him a look of hatred but moves towards the steps when the barrel of the weapon presses in ever closer into the tear-track marked teen and clearly hurts too since Dean hisses in response to it and then screws his face up. It leaves Roman with little choice and so to that end he eases his semi-conscious father step by step towards the laundry room floor, where he lowers him into a slump on the concrete that the patriarch is unaware of then turns back with a glower,

"Now let Dean go."

"I thought I warned you about giving orders," Michael snaps back in petulant tones, but he licks his lips too then seems to let his mind wander as he lowers his nose towards the copper blonde crop and breathes in heavily like Dean smells super good to him, which makes the kid squirm.

"Hey get the fuck away from me."

"Let him go _now_ ," Roman barks the command a second time because to hell with what the creepy gunman has said. There is no _way_ can he let his little brother be _inhaled_ like that and especially not by a man whose personal interest lies way beyond which brand of shampoo has been used.

Michael shrugs back at him,

"Hmmm, see now _about_ that, because _I_ was kind of thinking I might keep the kid with me, to make sure that you and that old man of yours behave yourselves."

Roman shakes his head then steps forward bodily.

Not a single chance in hell. His tone is low and dark with warning.

"Michael, now you listen to me, because however badly this crazy plan is working out for you, I can _promise_ it will be worse unless you let my brother go. I mean right now except for a minor concussion, everything that has happened here can be put right somehow. But if you go through with what I _know_ you're thinking then there will be no way ever to put that crap right and no way on _earth_ to stop me from killing you because I'm not gonna care one bit about that gun."

For a second there is silence.

Dean is sort of blinking which is possibly the fever or confusion or both, but he seems to not get the breadth of what is happening which is probably a good thing in the scheme of it all. Michael hesitates though and for a horrible second it seems like he is going to haul the teen back and then slam the door before Roman can get there, but in the end he merely shrugs,

"Fine, but be fast on your feet."

Roman frowns back at him,

"Fast on my – ,"

 _Damn_ _it_.

Before he has even made it halfway through the sentence, Dean is propelled towards him with a two handed shove. He is probably still unsteady from all of the hurling not to mention the fever that is pumping through his veins, which means that with the added and unwanted propulsion he misses the steps and sort of takes to the air, with a yelp of pure horror as the floor lifts to meet him.

Roman makes the catch but Dean is moving pretty rapidly and so together they both tumble back onto the floor, in a tangle of limbs with the bigger man at the bottom, which is where they still are when they hear the laundry door slam,

Dean starts babbling,

"R-Roman m' sorry, 'cos if I had never thrown up we would still be in the l-lounge and he would never have hit pop an' hurt him an' m' sorry, m' so sorry — ,"

He only stops when he starts to cough, which mingles with the tears and his temperature and breathlessness until the teenager is basically a spluttering mess. His face has turned red but is so bright and heated that he could probably be used to bring planes in to land and so Roman shuffles round so they are both sat back upright and then hugs the kid closely.

"Breathe uce, breathe, this is not your fault."

"But – but – ,"

"But _nothing_ you hear me? Because you getting sick will never _ever_ be on you," Roman pauses and then shrugs loosely, "Except when it's a hangover, because in _that_ case it _is_ on you."

Dean lets out a small snort but hell it's good to hear it and so Roman responds by tousling the hair and then tries hard not to think about what _might_ have happened had Michael not listened and hauled the kid away. It makes him shudder but Dean has other worries,

"Roman i-is pop okay?"

"Honestly, I'm not totally sure little brother."

Ending the hug he moves back towards their father who is slumped against the wall with his chin on his big chest, which is slowly rising and falling beneath him so at least he is breathing.

Roman too sucks in a breath, because the sight of his big burly no nonsense father lying prone and helpless is a terrifying thing. Not that he can really let that fear out however because no way can he let Dean see him being less than brave and not when the kid blames himself for what has happened.

Roman grunts.

Hardly surprising really given his past.

Dean had spent six years or possibly even longer being blamed for pretty much everything beneath the sun and even though he has come _so_ far since being s Reigns boy, there are habits that are harder than others to break. Like beating himself up when something bad happens or when their beach house is stormed by a lunatic gunman who gives their father a concussion for example.

Biting his lip Dean creeps in a little closer and then curls his fingers in around the unresponsive hand, like the kid is worried about hurting their father further but wants to help somehow. In response to him the patriarch lets out a grumbled snort and then shifts himself a fraction before beginning to snore peacefully, which Roman figures has to be a positive sign.

He chuckles a little,

"Lucky the old man has a pretty hard head I guess. No blood or nothing back here, only a big old nasty bump so could be a lot worse uce."

Dean blows a sigh out,

"Roman?"

"Hit me with it kiddo," he responds sitting back down and taking the space on the floor beside his father where he can keep an eye on both his parent and the sniffly teen. Dean is sitting cross legged in front of him frowning in bafflement,

"Like, why was he fired?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, the gunman I mean – because I keep hearin' kinda _parts_ of it but I never found out the real reason y' know? Even though I figure it must be somethin' like, _real_ bad."

"Not important uce," Roman fires back in an instant, because the last thing he wants is for the kid to know the truth, or figure out why the guy was sniffing his hair earlier, _or_ think back to when he fell out of bed in his boxer shorts. Everything is horrible enough as it is for him without knowing there is a freaking predator up on the loose who likes the way he smells.

Dean grumbles back at him,

" _Ugh_ come _on_ uce, I hate bein' the only one outta the loop."

Roman sighs,

"He was kinda looking at things on his computer, things which meant pop _had_ to fire him."

Dean nods,

"You mean he likes little boys?"

It is possible that Roman kind of _coughs_ at him in horror. Well, okay, that and flat out surprise at both the perception of the kid sat in front of him _and_ the nonchalant way that the sentence is phrased. Much like Dean is well versed in pedophiles or is locked up in a laundry room by one every day. But the shrug of his shoulders is way too casual and it makes the older man frown,

"Damn it uce, how the hell would you even know that?"

More blasé shrugging.

 _Oh god_.

Roman feels himself grow tense, because he knows the kid better than he basically knows himself now and so the more the teenager tries to look casual the more Roman knows what a big deal something is, since it's how to tends to express memories of his father or things he has been through.

Dean scratches at his head,

"Uh, my birth father had these kinda _friends_ I guess, but not proper _real_ friends like the kind most people have. I mean, mostly they were people he met in bars when gettin' hammered an' brought back home to keep the good times rollin' an' things like that."

Roman keeps his tones even but probing,

"Little brother?"

Dean blushes at his rambling but then clears his throat and carries on,

"I remember this one guy who was real freakin' kinda creepy, he must 'a come by a couples of times. He kinda used to look at me all sorta _funny_ an' I knew it was weird before I knew what it _was_. I used to go an' lock myself in my bedroom an' a couple times he came round when my old man was out, wantin' me to let him in an' all that crap but _that_ never happened."

Roman fights his anger back,

"Good move uce."

"Must 'a been a couple months before I saw him in the papers for hurtin' some kids or somethin' like that, so I figured I had a kinda _lucky escape_ or whatever."

His brother tousles his hair again thankfully, fighting down his anger.

"Damn lucky escape uce, but you got me now and I'm not gonna let him hurt you and I promise you — _promise_ — that I am going to get us out of here. Big brother is gonna think us up an escape plan and once I have I'm gonna kick some serious Michael ass and make him wish he'd never tangled with the Reigns family. Believe that."

* * *

 **Gotta get the catchphrase in there at least one time! Next chapter, Dean formulates a plan...**


	13. Thirteen

**Getting closer to the end now. But first we need Papa Reigns back. Come on Papa Reigns!**

 **Skovko, Aha, so I know that Roman is usually the one to save things. But I'm not a huge fan of being predictable** _ **all**_ **the time. So what if Roman isn't the one who saves them this time? The end of the chapter might clue you in *winks***

 **Mandy, Brotherly love is my speciality (as you may have guessed by now). Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when I write it. Even if it's cold (or not sunny) outside. More family and brother feels in this one. Plus Dean being a damn hero (or planning to be!)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, I think the two of them have to be tenacious after everything I seem to like to put the pair through!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you honey!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, I think with everything that little teen Dean has had to go through he's had to learn to be perceptive in order to survive. His plan (which is not exactly Ocean's eleven, but then he is only sixteen) is a little clearer here. But the big question is, is he going to go through with it? *Walks away whistling***

 **Rebel8954, Bless, Dean means well if nothing else. Although it's safe to say that Roman and Papa Reigns are about as convinced by his plan as you! Then again, would we love Dean any other way than plucky (probably yes, but that's not the point).**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, good! I thought Michael sniffing Dean would almost be creepier than anything else he could do because it's just so weird. Who** **sniffs** **someone? Imagine if my ending was Margaret killing him with a casserole dish! (Sorry, it's not!)**

 **Guest, As horrible as it is that the guys are being held prisoner by a crazed, gun wielding pedophile, it does mean lots of protective Roman, which, I'm not going to lie here, I love, love, love! Papa Reigns is back in this one, so we get the boys together again. If is he is a little bit sleepy (sorry Papa Reigns, my bad!)**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, My take on it is that Roman knows how dangerous the moment was, but no way in hell was he going to let Michael keep Dean. I think Michael is bad, but also kind of clueless and making things up pretty much as he goes along, so he decided it was best not to tangle with Roman, even if he** _ **was**_ **the one holding the gun. Go big brother Roman huh?!**

 **Not-that-kinda-gurl, Roman is such a big damn hero! But Dean is definitely starting to take after his big bro. Don't worry, Papa Reigns comes back around in this one. I would never hurt the big Reigns family patriarch** _ **too**_ **much** _ **.**_

 **Minnie1015, Yeah, I figured that maybe Dean's backstory was too happy so I threw in that added detail on top. Lol! But if nothing else it's another reminder that Dean is a fighter, as our favourite teenager is about to go and prove...maybe?**

 **All together now, WAKE UP PAPA REIGNS...**

* * *

 **Thirteen**

Fifteen minutes into their laundry room imprisonment Papa Reigns begins to show signs of waking up. He mumbles to himself and moves to make himself comfier, which is probably largely pointless since he is leant back on solid brick, but either way it makes his sons hopeful, even though he ignores them by and large when they call.

"Pop?"

"Hey pop can you hear us or say something?"

More mumbles bite back but not with real sounding sentences and so the laundry room once more becomes eerily still, with the exception of the heavy feet pacing above them and the bizarrely soothing rhythm of concussion based snores.

In and then out.

In and then out again.

Dean is first one to see him open his eyes.

He is leaning on their father tucked beneath a limp forearm that he has purposefully burrowed under because he hopes it will help and is looking up worriedly at the narrow slit windows and the grey stormy landscape that is blowing beyond. Not that he can see a whole lot other than grass stems but he needs to look at _something_ to stop from losing his mind and the lawn seems a good choice because it's better than than fabric softener and bottles of conditioner.

Hmmm no thanks.

But having to sit helplessly is horrifically hard though, which is probably why Dean is busy plotting their escape and trying to figure out if can slither through the casements when he noticed the lashes on the broad face beside him blink in bewilderment.

He scrambles up,

"Hey pop?"

Papa Reigns frowns back at him and for a horrible second it makes the teen tremble and want to throw up, because it's like the bigger man has had his mind wiped blank, or has that _thing_ where he cannot remember people or even who he is or the basics like that. Or maybe he simply cannot remember who the teen is because what if it's only the last twelve months have been wiped?

 _Oh_ _please_ _no._

Dean is basically freaking, but then a hand reaches out and brushes loosely through his hair.

Huh?

Papa Reigns is staring back with a loose lipped smile which seems to falter by his brow line where the look instead turns to a wince, which is probably because he _must_ be nursing a killer headache since he was hit in the skull with _the butt of a gun_.

"Easy now son, I'm okay."

Dean breaks down,

"It - it was my fault pop, because I got sick, an' that make him hit you."

Papa Reigns frowns back at him in levels of bewilderment but whatever specific part of the sentence has bamboozled him is then promptly broken as Roman moves in close and cups the broad face between his hot palms loosely as he handles the post concussion side of things.

 _Oops_.

Dean bites his lip.

"Hey, welcome back old man, think you can tell me where we are maybe pop?"

"Downstairs in the beach house. In the laundry room specifically," Papa Reigns grumbles back at him in low husky tones, which seem sluggish but have thankfully lost none of their bossiness since he clearly believes the point is something his son should know.

Roman nods back,

"Do you remember what happened?"

Papa Reigns blinks then moves his gaze right across to the far wall, as he clearly tries to root through the banks of his memory in order to find out what in the hell had gone wrong. Because it has to be obvious even to their battered patriarch that _something_ has turned out seriously bad.

Dean holds his breath because what if it _is_ on him? His blocked up sinus makes a bubbly type of noise and in response the bigger man turns the focus towards him before narrowing his eyes and sweeping over the bright red cheeks and beads of fever sweat Dean can _feel_ in his hairline since most of him feels like he has been put on to roast.

Mama Reigns would have probably rubbed a lemon wedge over him.

He blushes a little,

"Um, I know I look like crap but – ,"

He breaks off however as a hiss washes over them, which is spat out by their father in furious tones as his memories flood back in what seems like full glory, complete with the gun and the left behind butt medicine and probably the bit about throwing up in the sink.

" _Michael_."

Roman nods back,

"Uh huh, he's pretty much the size of it."

Honestly Dean wants to cry out loud, because not only has their father _not_ been turned into a vegetable but he remembers what happened. Or _most_ of it at least, which is probably the main thing and besides, the bits he slept through had hardly been exciting, so maybe it worked out for the best.

Even so their father is obviously worried since he grips them both fiercely,

"Did he hurt you two boys?"

"Nah pop we're good."

Dean nods too,

"He kinda wanted to keep me with him, but Roman went nuclear which was totally cool."

Honestly he means it to come out as a positive because it's certainly how _he_ sees the thing anyway, but Papa Reigns instead knits his brows close together in a look of total horror that seems to shiver through his spine as he blinks between them,

"Roman is that true?"

"He might 'a mentioned something like that," Roman nods back, clearly trying to keep it cool, which Dean figures is because their poor pop has a concussion and so the last thing they want is him blowing a gasket loose. Not that it helps much.

Best not mention the whole hair smelling.

"Damn that bastard, thinking for one second that he can mess with _my_ child."

"M' okay pop," Dean shrugs back, but weirdly he kind of loves the burst of fierce protectiveness because it comes from being impossibly loved and frankly he will never _not_ like hearing it spoken because he went so long without it.

"Did he touch you at all son?"

"Not like that."

"Not like _what_ exactly? What does that mean?" Papa Reigns narrows his look in a way that the teen has seen him pull frequently, but which so far has never been levelled at him. Not twelve months earlier it would have probably sent him running, because back then unhappy fathers had only meant one thing. But this is no way even close to that. Not remotely. But it still makes him swallow.

Luckily Roman steps in, being far more experienced in _the look_ than his brother,

"Dean knows the reason that Michael was fired pop and before you get mad at me he worked it out himself. But if you want to keep from having a god damn conniption then I'm gonna suggest you save the _how_ part for a while lot later on, or for once we figure a way to get out of here."

Dean blinks.

Go get 'em Roman.

Papa Reigns meanwhile frowns and then looks to the teen like he is already suspicious of the tale of woe that might be coming his way and so the teenager responds by smiling and then shrugging which is equal parts _I have no idea what he is talking about honest_ and _easy pop it's not that bad_.

Not that either one of them looks terribly convincing based on the sigh,

"I'm not so sure we can son."

Roman frowns,

"Huh?"

"Not so sure we can get out of here,"

Papa Reigns waves his hand somewhat loosely round the room, which _okay_ on the face of it looks basically impregnable or whatever the breaking _out_ equivalent is, but which Dean has been thinking on long and hard in the interim and so therefore thinks he _might_ have a potential solution to.

"How 'bout crawlin' outta the windows?"

Roman smiles,

"Nice try uce, but me and pop have never been much built for that kind of thing."

He taps his broad shoulders to further his point and then reaches over to pat the waistline of their father, who narrows his gaze but otherwise keeps schtum. Dean fights a smile back then shrugs and _then_ sneezes, but the shrug is the main thing,

"I could probably fit."

"Uce, _no_."

Dean sits himself upright and then throws his hands out,

"Roman come on, I mean, once I get out there I could go get help or somethin'. I – I promise I won't go back in the house, an' then I can bring – like – the _cavalry_ with me before that creepy douche nozzle knows I even skipped out."

Roman stays firm,

"Not happening little brother, I mean you got a good plan but it's too risky."

"Roman please," Dean hacks a sudden cough up which bubbles in his bronchioles and then makes his bigger brother lift up a brow, like even if his genius escape scheme _was_ worth trying, then his snotty and feverish body would rule him straight out and which would probably be fair under normal circumstances.

But they are trapped by a crazed gunman.

How is it _not_ worth a try?

Dean turns himself frowning to the bigger man between them who is rubbing at his temples to help the beating in his head, but who obviously can tell what the teenager is going for because he replies to the boy without even opening his eyes.

"Listen to your brother son."

"But pop – ,"

"Easy now boy, I know you want to help us and I appreciate that. But the last thing I want is you out there on your own son, _especially_ given the things we know about Michael. Because if something happened to you I would never forgive myself. Besides which your mother would probably kill me or extend her ridiculous healthy eating campaign. No, best for us if we stay here and think harder and come up with a plan whereby all three of us can break loose, so no more talk of heroics do you hear me?"

Dean blows out a sigh but nods reluctantly,

"Okay pop."

But he looks towards the windows and then makes his mind up. Because come hell or high water, Dean Reigns is busting them out.

* * *

 **Next chapter Dean puts his plan into action. But will it work out for him or not? Answers on a postcard please...**


	14. Fourteen

**Moving slowly towards the end now folks. But first we just have time for Dean to try and play the big hero. Stay tuned to find out how that goes (hint: not well!)**

 **Sodapop25, Thank you!**

 **Rebel8954, Those are all excellent suggestions. Which is why it's a shame that it's not you busting out of the laundry room instead of Dean, because Dean doesn't think of any of those things. But, I mean, we love him anyway right?!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thank you and yep, don't worry, I'm still working on their story!**

 **Mandy, I'm so happy that you were feeling better last week and I've got my fingers crossed that you felt good today too. You certainly deserve to! Yep, our little Deano has come so far in this series and now he gets to play the big damn hero too. Or at least he tries too, which is kind of different, but trying is the main thing!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Haha, no, nothing really ever goes to plan for Dean in any of my stories, no matter what AU world he happens to be in. So there's probably no reason to expect this one to go better, although hopefully** _ **how**_ **it goes down will be a bit of a surprise!**

 **Skovko, I'm not sure Margaret would even open the door to the Reigns men now after the whole lasagne thing. I think it's safe to say Papa Reigns has a lot of making up to do. They are definitely off her Christmas card list now!**

 **LHisawesome4ever, Well guessed! Yep, Michael has very unhealthy tendencies and they might come up a little bit more in this chapter. Really going to up the tension in this one...because, I mean, we can stand some more right?!**

 **Guest, Dean is officially a Reigns now and he loves that, so yep, he's Dean Reigns all the way. I figured that Dean would be scared Papa Reigns might have forgotten him, after all, he's still kind of expecting his brand new perfect life to fall apart. Luckily, not today though!**

 **Minnie1015, Oh ye of little faith. Dean's plans always work out and...oh, no they don't. Plus I've already kind of told you this one doesn't so yeah, there's that. But you don't know** _ **how**_ **yet, so hopefully that will be kind of a new thing!**

 **AttitudeEra1997 (BalorBabe), Getting them out is definitely Deans plan alright! But the problem is he has to be smart and careful and with a temperature and feeling sick that's kind of hard to do! Drama ahead!**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Many thanks! Hopefully you like this chapter too. We have all the drama in this one, so hold onto your hat!**

 **Here's Dean's plan...**

* * *

 **Fourteen**

For the next hour or longer they sit and try to brainstorm, but it's hard because between them they have basically no ideas and besides which Papa Reigns is pretty woozy from the concussion and the headache that is plaguing him and which makes it hard to think. Midway through it though he turns to the teenager,

"I think I understand now son."

Dean blinks back,

"Huh?"

"I think I know how you were feeling when we met you, back in the hospital for the very first time. Because I knew you were brave, but I never knew _how_ much."

He palms the scruffy hair and the teen swallows,

"Uh, thanks pop."

For the most part though he hates thinking back to their first meeting, since he was basically a beaten up wreck of a kid, who had been littered with so many brutal kick and punch marks that he hard barely looked human, much less like a boy. He had cried too and everything like some pathetic baby, while they had cooed over him and told him how brave he was, which he had never especially bought into for his part, but they had mentioned it enough times that _they_ at least must thought it was true.

Maybe it is then?

It lights a sudden spark inside of him, because _that_ is how he is going to pay them back, since _he_ is going to be the one to get them all out of there no matter what his father or his bigger brother say.

Dean Reigns to the rescue.

Not that he chooses to tell them that part of course. Instead he waits until the few brainwaves they _do_ have been them to fade back into their safer initial plan of staying put, since Papa Reigns pretending like he is having heart trouble or breaking loose in a headfirst charge seem way too likely to go wrong.

 _Bullet in the head_ wrong. Which is probably the worst kind.

Beyond them the wind and rain keep hammering on the casements and gradually the noise of it lulls Papa Reigns to sleep. Roman too even seems to nod a little, which is probably because when it comes to the three of them he is the only one who has been present from the start. Little wonder then he looks so bone numbingly tired.

Dean nudges him gently,

"Hey bro s' okay, I mean I like, totally got this so you can sleep or whatever."

"Nah uce, m' good here," Roman grunts then murmurs back, "Besides I gotta keep an eye on my feverish little brother, in case he hacks a lung up or spontaneously combusts, because mom would be pissed if you sitting there burning up on us marked the concrete or something."

Dean rolls his eyes,

"Haha."

Roman pulls him in close, in a teasing little headlock which starts off as a tousle then traps the kid totally beneath the broad tattooed arm, where he squirms and attempts to wriggle himself out of it trying hard to sound pissed when in reality he wants to laugh.

"Roman lemme go, _hey_."

Papa Reigns shifts beside them and briefly screws his face up in the depths of his sleep and so in response his older brother clamps a hand over the teenager, like _he_ is the one that is being the child. He holds his other hand up to his lips and hisses teasingly,

"Hush come on uce, no waking pop now."

Dean snorts through the fingers but it makes his nose gurgle and then without warning completely block up, so that once more he is struggling to haul much needed breath in. Only _unlike_ the gunman Roman knows it at once and so whips away his hand and props the teenager forward before kneading big warm thumb pads on the back of his neck. He is full of remorse,

"Damn uce I'm sorry, I kinda forgot about the whole _sinus_ thing."

Dean shrugs loosely between gulps,

"Uh huh, me too."

He falls back loosely when his lungs have re-inflated and then pillows himself safe against the big sturdy chest, whereupon Roman lays a protective forearm over him and both of them fall silent and listen to the storm, which sounds like it is trying to bust _in_ through the window.

Dean blinks,

"Is the rain _always_ this heavy by the ocean? Or this like a typhoon kind of a thing? Because I read about though, or heard about somewhere an' I kinda wanna see one. Roman?"

Nothingness comes back and when Dean blinks and then looks up the bigger man has his eyes closed having obviously crashed and given into his need to sleep. For a moment or two the teen simply lies back and lets it happen until he realizes what it means.

He can try to escape.

Not that he wants to disobey his beloved brother _or_ their father who will probably be cross m, but he knows he can help and so with that at the forefront he slips himself out from beneath the big arm with his tongue between his teeth trying hard to be silent.

He sneezes loudly.

" _Atishoo_."

But nobody moves, which means that he is free to scamper over to the tumbler which he clambers on top of on his wobbly legs. Because _god_ is he surprisingly shaky.

Stupid damn fever.

Reaching out a clammy hand he turns the lock of the window super carefully, in an inch by inch creep so that the process is hushed, even though the storm is whipping like crazy and _then_ sounds like someone has fixed it to a stereo when he opens the hinges.

How can rain be so loud?

He hauls himself bodily up onto the washer and then uses the laundry basket get in closer to the sill, before hauling a breath in and pausing for a second to look back again at his brother and father slumbering safely beyond. Roman will probably go mad when he finds him missing, but then Dean is trying to save both their lives like his older brother has for _him_ so many times over.

He bites his lip.

Roman will thank him in the end.

Physically fitting himself _through_ the window proves difficult, because he kind of gets his hips briefly snagged on the casement like a scene from _Alice in Wonderland_ or some crap. He kicks his feet a bit though and then pops loose like champagne cork, except one that is feverish and near plastered in sweat.

Beyond the comparative safety of the laundry room the rain is free to take a leak on his head and it blinds him as he stumbles back onto his feet clumsily then blows in his face.

It tastes like salt but _fuck_ is cold.

He is only wearing a thin and loose fitting t-shirt which is wet through within seconds of being outside and clings to his torso like some weird sort of body suit, only one that has been left in a pond in the North Pole. He shivers like mad but then remembers _why_ precisely. Because he needs to rescue his brother and their pop and so to that end he begins to plod his way through the puddles which have collected beside the beach house.

He's barefoot too which helps.

Not _._

He pops up next to the big open terrace which spans pretty much the whole length of the hunkered house, but which the large picture windows on the ground floor look over and which therefore their hostage taker might be peering through too, congratulating himself on his locked up prisoners.

Dean can hardly waltz past.

 _Hey man, I'm gonna go call the cops, so I hope you're cool with that, yeah?_

He figures _no_ probably, but then nor can he leap into the sea and _swim_ free so that kind of means that he has to go past. Then again though he can be sneaky when he wants to be since he had spent most of his life trying to _not_ wake his old man.

Michael is nothing new.

Except for the whole _gun_ part and the fever and the seafront –

Dean battles a sneeze back then begins to tiptoe in, but keeping super _super_ close to the windows and trying his best to look in through the glass, because Michael has to be in there somewhere. His toes slip beneath him on the wet slimy boards and then nearly tip him over completely, so he throws out his hands then bumps the kitchen window before sliding over and landing on his butt cheeks pretty hard, which hurts and _then_ rattles his throbbing fever headache,

"Ouch, _crap_."

Now the back of his _sweat pants_ are wet through.

He probably looks like he missed the freaking toilet but hardly has time to dwell on _that_ thought, because the next thing he knows the glass behind him vanishes as someone sweeps the windows to the terrace open wide and makes him fall backwards looking up at the gun.

Double crap.

"How the hell did you get out of that room kid?"

"M' not a kid," Dean huffs back at the inverted captor sounding more like a kid than he ever has in his life, or at least the hostage taker stood in front of him seems to think so because a thin little smile breaks out on his lips which he licks, but probably _not_ because of rain saltiness.

Michael uses the gun as a pointer,

"Come on, get up."

"No way."

"Do what I say before I choose to make this whole thing _real_ bad for you."

Dean shivers because while that could literally mean a bunch of things the implication is ten or ten _thousand_ times worse and which is therefore why he chooses that moment to get ballsy.

"Make me," Dean crosses his hands over his chest, like lying on the floorboards is totally normal or like the hostage taker will maybe have to bodily haul him up, which is then pretty much exactly what happens. Michael leans forward and grabs him by the shirt.

It stretches out like a tent,

"Damn it, I _said_ get up kid. I mean _god_ no wonder your old man used to beat you so readily if _this_ is how pig headed you are."

Fuck.

Dean feels the words like literal gunshots because each one hammers hard into his heart and still _could_ since the weapon is being pointed at him the whole time that Michael pulls him up onto his feet. Dean tries to make himself floppy to stop it, but is pretty much helpless because his body is so weak, besides which the _creepozoid_ hostage taker is pretty powerful.

Probably through panic.

"Lemme go you fuckin' creep, m' _not_ gonna let you put your hands on me."

"Hate to break it to you kid, but we might have gone past that point," Michael grunts the words back harshly as he pushes him in through the kitchen and back into the lounge where their imprisonment had begun only hours before that.

Dean feels woozy.

"Not gonna let you touch me like a _pedophile_ I mean."

Michael coughs like someone has punched him then pauses with one foot on the bottommost stair. Dean blinks because _hold up_ , why would Michael want him in the bedrooms? His heart flips over because _crap_ that feels bad.

He needs to get loose.

But he times trying to twist out of it with precisely the same moment that Michael erupts, then hauls him backwards so that his shirt nearly throttles him then sets him off coughing and hacking up his lungs. Fuck he really wants some more of the butt medicine.

"I'm _not_ one those. You hear me? So you take that crap back, because _that_ is nothing more than the boss filling your head up."

Dean grits his teeth,

"My pop would never lie like that, an' besides you had that shit on your computer so he saw it himself," Michael lets out a throaty growl and then pauses for a second before resuming his mission of trying to haul the teenager back up the stairs, because far from not being _one of those people_ he sure seems keen on making the climb.

Dean tries to fight it but _god_ he is woozy and boiling hot and not convinced that he's not tucked up in bed, simply having a fever based nightmare. Except that he can _feel_ the hold that Michael has on his arm. Besides which he knows what the man has in store for him.

He cannot let that happen.

"Roman, _help_ – ,"

Dean rips himself loose then spider monkeys to the bannister figuring that the woodwork will keep him from being hauled until his brother can bust in to save him like always, but the suddenness of the move throws Michael into a lunge which he botches by slipping.

"Holy fuck, kid - kid _help_ me."

Michael teeters for a second with his hands flung out wide, then topples over backwards hitting the steps like a bowling ball with his head knocking hard into every bannister post before he lands on the carpet in a heap beside the weapon completely still and unmoving.

Creepy Michael is no more.

* * *

 **Only two more chapters left after this one and then we're all finished with teen Dean for a little more. But of course, there may be one or two things left to clear up first! See you next week (I hope!)**


	15. Fifteen

**Okay so I know that we're all probably reeling tonight from the Dean news…or the Dean work whatever it is (I honestly can't decide at the moment) but I've been thinking and whatever happens, the stories don't have to end. I mean, let's face it most of mine are AU anyway, so if you want to keep reading I'll keep writing…is that a deal? Now, with further ado let's go for the penultimate chapter in the saga of Teen Dean are we ready for this folks?**

 **AttitudeEra1997 (BalorBabe yay you got your account back), Well don't count your chickens before they hatch…or in this case your creepy guys before they die (new saying please feel free to use it conversation from now on!)**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Aww thank you and good news the wait is over, here is your official second to last chapter!**

 **Rebel8954, Haha, well Mama Reigns does have previous when it comes to going toe to toe with officers like in the last story when she refused to sit the ransom drop out, so I would think if Dean needed her on side in this case she would be all over it. Mama Reigns rocks!**

 **Mandy, Hey hope you're doing okay this week (in spite of Dean trying to give us all heart attacks darn him) If not please accept some loving Roman and Dean brother goodness. Always makes me smile when I'm having a bad day!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Hmmm, you know, maybe you know me too well, but I'm not going to give anything away at this point so you're going to have to read it and see what happens yourself. But yeah, Dean getting busted by Michael was maybe not a surprise. It's Dean…he finds trouble!**

 **Skovko, I think we all knew that Dean's original plan was probably not going to work out so well. I mean, for one thing the kid is sick, but yeah, Unintentional Plan B worked out pretty well!**

 **Minnie1015, Yep, we're straight into Roman's POV for this one and let's just say he's slightly panicked. But come on, I mean, that's how we love him right? Roman is built for worrying about his brother (in any AU time or place!) We love you Roman!**

 **LHisawesome4ever, Come on now, you know me, I love our boy too much to be too too mean to him. Read and see, but yeah, let's just say that Dean's in a bit of a panic. Although luckily I think the fever might have dulled his horror a bit…maybe.**

 **Guest, Yep, Dean's plan could have gone very very wrong and nearly did. Good thing for Dean and everyone that Michael is super clumsy and that the banisters were hard!**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Aww thanks and yep, let's just say Papa Reigns and Roman wake up to a bit of a surprise in this chapter…and wait, did I say surprise? I meant living nightmare, which is kind of the same thing right? No?**

 **Here we go again…**

* * *

 **Fifteen**

 _Roman help_ –

Big brown orbs blink back into the laundry room as the burly gym owner is propelled from his sleep by the horrible sensation that his brother is crying out for him, but which is then overtaken by pure bewilderment instead, since the first thing he sees is a box of soap powder followed by a clothes hamper and then a brick wall.

It takes another moment for his brain to catch up to him but the realization when it comes is whole. From Dean getting sick to Michael the gunman and then being thrown in the damn laundry room, where he knows his little brother is tucked safe beside him.

Except –

Except his body feels cold when theoretically it _should_ be hot enough to boil a kettle since the kid has been a literal human furnace of late.

He knits his brows,

"Uce?"

Roman swipes a hand over his features then checks the spot beside him. But sure enough, Dean is gone. Feeling his heart start to beat a little harder he sits himself up and blinks hard into the room, taking in the both the sight and sound of his snoring father and then rapidly checking every corner and nook, because how in the world could the teenager not be there?

 _How_?

Had Michael come and hauled him out without them knowing it?

His wide eyes sweep over the washing machine and then land on the upturned laundry basket on top of it and the rain blowing in from the stormfront outside, both of which make his damn stomach turn over as he launches into a stumble then crosses the room,

"Uce? Oh little brother you damn well better _not_ have."

He has though.

Roman blows out a hissed little cuss then shivers in a way that it not caused by the weather. Because what if Dean calling for help had been _real_? Dean might need him or might be in danger somewhere. He tries not to linger on the reasons for _why_ though because no _way_ can he cope with the horror of those thoughts.

Instead he shakes his father. Roughly,

"Pop wake up,"

"Wha – ?"

"Dean is missing, looks like he snuck out the window."

Papa Reigns blinks back at him through concussion blurred eyes, since the likelihood seems high he has forgotten what is happening or when he went to sleep or for that matter _why_. But to his credit he latches on like a literal bolt of lightning, because nothing keeps _his_ old man down.

"Did you say missing?"

"Uh huh. Looks like he climbed out the window like he said earlier. Must have thought he really _could_ save us."

"God damn that boy," Papa Reigns blows back, in tones of total and utter frustration. But Roman knows his parent well enough by this point in life to know that the harshness is fuelled by concern. Because when it comes to his children and perhaps Dean especially, there will never be feelings there other than love.

"Pop? I think I heard him calling out for some help too."

"Michael?"

"Damn well _hope_ not," Roman snarls back, beginning to curl up his big fists on instinct, but the impulse of which is broken up by a thudding noise. Or make that _several_ threaded together.

 _Bump-bump-crash_.

"My goodness, whatever in the world was that?"

Papa Reigns is blinking in measures of bewilderment when his son blitzes past him back up the laundry room stairs, because he means to bust through in a shoulder charge or something. Anything. He _has_ to get there. He _has_ to find his uce.

Fortunately however he is only halfway up them when the outside bolt is clumsily fumbled back and the door is thrown wide open and which is probably a good thing because otherwise the thing would have knocked him out cold or else thrown him backwards through the air onto the concrete.

"Roman – ,"

 _Oh thank god_.

Dean charges in over the threshold looking red cheeked and hotter than hell, like the kid has been left in the oven for too long. But he has also been crying or still _is_ possibly since he seems to be hiccupping panicked breaths out, in between swiping hot tears from his features.

Roman catches his shoulders and holds him there firmly,

"Uce, take it easy. What happened?"

"I killed him."

Roman lowers his frown as the words tumble out, then lets his gaze fall in towards the _actual handgun_ that he notices being clutched in the shaking teenaged hand. His heart turns over so he gently reaches towards it before plucking it loose and passing it back, whereupon their hovering father takes it and places in on the washing machine well out of reach.

Dean barely registers it,

"I snuck out. M' sorry but I wanted to help you an' pop out _so bad_ , 'cos you're always savin' me an' I thought he would shoot you. But he saw me in the window an' he had the gun an' everythin' an' _then_ he tried to take me upstairs, but I – I couldn't let him I – ,"

Dean hacks and then wheezes,

"Easy now son."

Roman lets their father respond to it since _he_ is too busy lingering on the last few words and the fact that Michael had wanted Dean remotely _near_ the bedrooms. Dean meanwhile gets his breathing back under control.

Kind of.

"I – I tried callin' an' then I got free again, but he – he kinda lost his step, an' he was yellin' for me to pull him back up an' stuff, but it was so fast an' then – then he fell an' he hit his head an' now he's lyin' on the floor not movin'. So — so I killed him."

Roman blows out a breath and then hugs the teenager as close as he can get him while running a brotherly hand over his hair. Partly because he knows that it makes the kid feel better but mostly because it makes _him_ feel better too since from the sounds of it things could have been way worse for all of them and especially the youngster.

"Not your fault uce."

"B-but – ,"

"Listen little brother you were protecting yourself from him and besides, it sounds to me like he fell, so there is nothing for you to be sorry about here," Dean sniffs hard into his front in response and Roman can feel the heat radiating from him because _hell_ the teen is practically in fire and really needs some more of the butt medicine.

Papa Reigns coughs and then eases them back to his employee who Roman had honestly forgotten about, because the man had tried to manhandle his little brother and so therefore he is probably way better where he is.

Dead he means.

"Did Michael have a pulse son?"

Blue eyes blink back in bewilderment,

"I – I never checked. I came back here to get you an' Roman."

In response their father gently nods his big head, because presumably the movements further triggers his concussion, but he keeps his tones both steady and low because the last thing he wants is to sound like he is heated, which he _is_ but certainly not at his son,

"Probably best if you lead us up to him."

It takes them a while to get back up the staircase because the patriarch can only move one step at a time, then has to rest because the climb is pretty tiring and besides which his vision swings and lurches a lot. But they manage it between them, with Roman leading as their point man and the teenager stumbling behind him super tight, which makes big Papa Reigns grunt in spite of everything because his boys being so close is a beautiful thing. In the time before Dean had burst into their family Papa Reigns had been pretty hard on his only son.

Dean had changed that.

Dean had been the making of all of them and brought them together for which there is no reward beyond trying to fill up his world with love and laughter.

Roman steps into the lounge and then halts.

"Damn."

Dean is clutching the hem of his sweater and has his forehead pressed into him clearly not wanting to look, which the bigger man gets totally because the scene is horrifying since Michael is lying in a floppy heap on the floor with his eyes completely closed. He has even snapped a bannister so cannot _possibly_ be living but Roman hunkers in to look for a pulse.

He finds one too pretty weak but steady,

"Pop call nine-one-one."

Dean blinks,

"Does that mean he's not gone? Not even when he cracked his head over an' over?"

"Nope he's not gone uce," Roman grunts back as he rolls their captor into the recovery position, because they should probably _try_ to somehow help. Dean flops back onto the arm of the couches looking blindsided and Papa Reigns tousles his hair, in a brief loving motion as he heads into the kitchen to go call the police.

"Easy son."

"I – I totally thought he was dead."

Dean looks exhausted which is hardly surprising really and his clothes are soaked but at least the three of them at least are together again with no lingering bullet wounds and only bumps and minor scratches so therefore in the broader scheme that seems like a positive thing.

Roman sighs and then grind at his brother,

"Looks like you went and saved us after all uce."

"Huh. Yeah."

* * *

Last chapter next week everyone when we're going to round this baby up. Hope to see you there for the final fling of Little Brother 3. Big hugs to all my worried and stressed out Dean girls.


	16. Sixteen

**Well, here we go, last chapter of Little Brother 3. I do actually have an idea for Little Brother 4, but I guess there is such a thing as doing an idea to death and besides, maybe teen Dean's been through enough? Either way though, let me know if you'd like another one of these and thank you to all those who have read and reviewed. More notes about stuff and what's next down at the bottom…**

 **Guest, Awww thank you!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Thanks again for all your reviews you lovely person! Hope to see you on my next outing!**

 **Phoenix lord of rebirth, Yep, I left just a few loose threads here that need tying up! Thank you so much for reviewing and getting behind my crazy tee Dean world!**

 **Lovethatbeb, Awww thank you…I'll put you down on the list of people who would like another sequel then?! Lol!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Haha, don't worry, Michael is in no fit state to come back at them. I'll see to that! But, as ever, thank you for your reviews and for being there with encouragement! Hope I'll see you at the next one!**

 **SkittlezLvr79, Agreed, I thought that Dean accidentally killing someone might be too much even for him, so I decided to be kind and not mess him up too much by having Michael come out of it fairly intact! As ever though, thank you for your reviews. Until next time?!**

 **Mandy, Did you say you had a Seth story? Aww, I know he's your boy! As for our Deano (in real life) I don't know what's happening, but god I really hope it's a work! Teen Dean however is still very much with Roman and that's how it's going to stay! Thank you for all your support and being such a huge champion of mine!**

 **Minnie1015, Haha, yeah, I know you'll be there for my next one whatever I manage to come up with! Glad you liked Dean saving the others for once in this one too. I figured it was time! As always thank you for your reviews and encouragement, even when you're juggling children like a supermom you always manage to find time to read my ramblings!**

 **Skovko, Yep. Dean had to step up and save them at some point and okay, so you could maybe argue that it was kind of a fluke, but that's not the point damn it…he saved them! Anyway, thank you for being there every chapter, means a lot that you're always game for whatever I word vomit out. Big hugs.**

 **Guest, Yep, final chapter here we come (always a bittersweet moment!) Agreed, real life Dean is stressing me out too. My head says he's leaving, my heart says it's a work. But who knows (not me because I'm living in denial!) Anyway, onto happier and fluffier things. Final chapter time! P.S. Thanks for your reviews!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, better late than never and you know what? I am going to leave you without a peak at the nosy neighbor. I forgot all about her in the shuffle (sorry Margaret I can only apologise to you and your lasagnes!) Michael is just a bad guy trying to convince everyone he's not a bad guy by being a bad guy. Things are always crazy with the Reigns' but would we have 'em any other way. Thanks for the reviews!**

 **Okay then, last time…**

* * *

 **Sixteen**

Presumably because the little town they had passed through is a cute kind of place lived in by nice _legal_ folk, the police turn up _en masse_ to the beach house in so many patrol cars and blue flashing sirens that it looks and sounds like the entire _force_ is there.

Michael regains some loose semblance of consciousness probably because of the stamping of boots, but he cannot remember where he is or even _why_ he is and he cannot remember the big former boss that one hour before he had been holding at gunpoint.

"Do I know you?"

Papa Reigns grunts back at him,

"No and now keep it like that and stay away from my family or I swear it will be the last damn thing you ever do."

Roman off goes to retrieve the missing handgun while his brother wearily gives his version of events, but he hardly makes it through because _god_ he is tired. He even sneezes on a sergeant at one point but is then luckily taken pity on and sent back upstairs for butt medicine, after which he showers, puts fresh threads on and then falls into bed.

It feels _so_ good.

But thanks to the trauma of being held at gunpoint _and_ being out in the rain in bare feet, his fever kicks back in pretty rapidly come midnight which mean the vivid nightmares come back too, only _this_ time blended in with the barrels of revolvers and Papa Reigns falling and then not getting up.

Dean calls for help,

"Pop. No please, _please_ stop hurtin' him – ,"

Each time he wakes he has Roman beside him or sometimes even their father, since they take it in turns between them to brush his hair back and pour more medicine out. His temperature spike lasts several long hours but then slowly begins to creep back to within normal range so that by the time they all finally make it to breakfast he is feeling much better.

Mostly better.

Fine, _bad_ but not feverish which he figured is probably a good thing.

He knows it's their last full day of the fishing trip and so therefore begs to be taken out to cast off even though his father thinks the plan is terrible and so begins the conversation by both putting his foot down and then shaking his head to make the matter crystalline.

"Dean no."

"But — but m' feelin' better now an' it's not fair because the trip is nearly over an' what with the _gun thing_ I never got to learn to swim, _or_ hook a marlin or a boot or whatever _an_ ' I never got to go out shoppin' for Renee. Please pop, _please_ or else its like he won right?"

Papa Reigns lifts a brow up,

"Nice try son."

But probably because his new father is brilliant it takes him only about two minutes longer to cave in and while he puts in a few business caveats it still means fishing. No boat though which is rule number one and so instead the three of them sit out on the jetty with their feet hung loosely over the edge and with the teenager sat in between them securely, like they think that he otherwise might tumble clean off, or be snapped up by a seagull or a shark or a whale.

Dean perks up though,

"Hey uce, you think there are sharks out there?"

"Least one or two of them," Roman responds easily, then grins as the teenager lets his mouth fall open in shock, "People get used to them out here in the summer because they like to come in close to beach chasing seals. Plus I heard they like the taste of copper blonde uces."

"How 'bout _not funny_ big brothers?"

"Damn uce, _ouch_."

Dean still pulls his feet up however and then tucks them beneath him powwow style, because the water looks kind of choppy and murky. He catches a fish though which is only a really little one but makes him feel ridiculously proud. His plan has been to give his first catch to their mother but he is surprised by how much the thing bounces on the line. It makes him feels guilty too because it wants to live _so_ badly, like _he_ had before Roman had swooped in to save his life.

He makes up his mind,

"I think m' gonna throw it back again."

"Not saving him for lunch son, or for ma to cook up?"

"No he's kinda too little for that pop an' besides, sometimes smaller things need a chance or for someone to believe in 'em that they can _be_ somethin'," Dean looks as up as his older brother grunts but then leans in happily as Roman pulls him closer, since both of them know the kid is talking about himself.

Roman snorts,

"Never heard a truer word said uce."

In the end they weight his first catch for the sake of history and then take a snapshot of the teen holding it up before letting the little swimmer back into the water where it whips off merrily into the choppy briny murk, with Dean calling out a last tip at his buddy before he forgets,

"Dude, remember to look out for sharks."

For their last night and given the fact that everyone is tired they munch their way through the lasagne Margaret had made, which is pretty freaking tasty even though the teen is unbreakable in his opinion that her cooking is not a patch on Mama Reigns.

Papa Reigns is keen to leave early the next morning to beat the weekend rush and so they pack their bags up and Dean takes one last little look around the beach house, because the place is still incredible and he feels sad to have to leave. Plus there's the fact that his big first time fishing trip had not _exactly_ gone as planned and so in many ways he feels he has kind of been cheated or like his bonding trip with their father might count for nothing somehow.

Papa Reigns finds him out on the terrace,

"Ready son?"

"Uh huh, but I guess I kinda wanted to take a last look 'cos its so freakin' big."

Dean is talking about the ocean, which in real terms is kind of an understatement of the fact, but Papa Reigns knows what he means since he blows a fond snort out then moves to stand beside him instinctively brushing a hand through the messy hair.

"I'm sorry son."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry that our fishing trip turned out to be so _busy_ ," Papa Reigns puts particular stress on the last word but keeps on tousling, "Next time will be better, I promise you that boy so if you're standing there thinking I'm not going to bring you then think again."

Dean smiles back crookedly,

"For real?"

"I told you before I take this trip with my children and no gunman will stop that."

Roman finds them in a hug and stands on the threshold of the lounge for a second smiling to himself because the teen is on his toes and so has clearly thrown his arms round the big man in a blitz hug that has swallowed their father whole.

He clears his throat a bit.

" _Heh-hem_."

Looking up Papa Reigns lets out a low grumble then untangles himself while flushing bright red because even though he is nothing but a sweetheart in reality, he still has his businessman front to maintain which is why he slaps his hands.

"Right, time to get moving."

"Before we hit that traffic right pop?" Roman grins, which earns him a look that could turn milk bitter but only makes _him_ beam wider in return.

Dean takes the backseat then watches conflicted as the beach house slides by the window and then away because even though he managed to go fishing he never learnt to swim or bought something for Renee.

But Papa Reigns is on a roll.

Because instead of keep going he pulls them up kerbside, when they hit the little town beside a little gift shop place where somebody might buy something for a girl or a loved one. Dean blinks back in total bewilderment and is met with strict instructions like usual, but they rock.

"Now listen son, I can only give you five minutes in there because then we _really_ have to hit the road before the toll bridge gets stacked up, you hear me?"

Dean nods back but he grins,

"Uh huh, thanks pop."

"Move."

Probably because he only has five minutes Dean gets inside then promptly freaks out, because honestly he has no clue what on earth to buy her and so sort of shuffles round picking up stuff. He finds something he knows will be perfect for his mother but them hems and haws about Renee for so long that he winds up scooping up the first thing he can think of when his father honks the horn.

He worries about it though.

Because what if she hates it or hates _him_ for buying it?

Luckily though he is still pretty tired from the flu so the rumble of the tires helps put him to sleep again, meaning he misses a good three hours of the drive since he wakes up only when they are nearly back home again. Mama Reigns is waiting outside on the porch and his heart almost bursts because _god_ he has missed her.

" _Mom_."

He bails out before the car has even stopped then barrels headfirst into her chest which makes her chuckle as she teases through his tangle while at the same time checking the temperature of his head.

He loves her _so_ much.

"Oh my goodness what a welcome."

"I bought somethin' for you," Dean pulls loose the gift which has been sat in his wet hands in a paper bag the whole ride back home and which takes the form of a sea shell made of glass, because he knows their mother likes to collect bits and knick knacks.

Mama Reigns gasps,

"Oh baby its _beautiful_ and _oooh_ I missed you boys so much."

"Missed you too mom," Dean lets her hug him and happily breathes her scent in which is light and floral and ever so slightly floury, from the meal she is probably cooking them up and which Dean knows will be better than lasagne from Margaret.

"Did you boys have fun out there?"

"Uh – ,"

Dean freezes up then shoots a look back towards his father and brother who have stopped like someone has hit pause, since the general consensus when it had come to Michael was that they would leave it for later so as not to freak her out.

Mama Reigns however is on it like a bloodhound,

"Oh no, what happened?"

"Now then my love I need you to hear me out," Papa Reigns begins evenly as he steps in towards her with his big hands held up. Dean however has his attentions caught suddenly by the blonde girl that appears on the sidewalk and then waves. She is beaming like mad.

Oh god.

His heart flips over but not in the Mama Reigns way since his palms also get wet and he feels totally sick. He slips from his mother and the brewing explosion, which will probably mean she cossets him for like a _month_ and then heads towards the pretty blonde with his cheeks on fire.

Renee throws her arms out and hugs him.

Holy crap.

"I'm so glad you're back, because _god_ it was lame without you."

Dean blinks back mutely but cannot find words because she smells so good and he is worried about his present which he hands over in a rush when she finally pulls back, since otherwise he will probably keep it forever like the lovestruck coward he is.

"Uh, I bought you this."

Renee takes the package and then pulls out the little necklace.

"It has a sharks' tooth on it because I know you said no fish, but I figured that was kinda _not_ same thing, an' besides I thought it was cool or shit, but _uh yeah_ I mean I get if you hate it, an' its not like m' gonna make you put it on."

"Dean this _rocks_."

Renee lights up like celebratory fireworks and then instantly pulls the little chain over her head with her eyes locked firmly on the gleaming shark tooth in the middle, because clearly she thinks it is like the _gnarliest_ thing.

It sends a sudden bolt of confidence through him, because _hell_ he had survived being held up by a pedophile but on which note he hears Mama Reigns gasp behind him, presumably as the retelling hits a similar point and knowing that he will soon be called back to console her he goes for broke.

"Do you maybe wanna go out sometime?"

Fuck there it was.

Renee lets a little laugh out but far from being a mocking type of sound or like she thinks he is hilarious or pranking her, it instead sounds happy.

" _Hell_ yes," she grins, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 **Finito! And a happy ending for our little Dean who is starting to get all grown up *wipes away tear***

 **Okay, so usually I have loads of stories lined up into the distance but…not this time. I'll be honest, over the summer everything that happened in the last year hit me and I couldn't write. Not at all. I mean, I** _ **wrote**_ **but I hated everything and I am only now slowly starting to get back into my groove. So, to that end I have a short story set during the Shield days that I will polish and put up and then I'm writing lots more Shield AU oneshots right now. I really want to get back to Lauren and Dean because I have such a good idea for them and of course, there's the idea for Little Brother 4 (again if anyone wants it). Basically though, what I'm saying here is, bear with me. I will have stuff to post, but not as crazy regular (2 – 3 a week on different stories) as I used to be. Anyway, for anyone that read to the end of this, thanks.**

 **See you soon!**


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